Rending Ruins
by DanzyDanz
Summary: What do you get when you stab a Dragon in the back, all to force him back to the life that he had left? What do you get when you cut all the restraints that bound him, when you turned his motivation of living to one solely driven by vengeance, forcing him to an unholy crusade, and is willing to commit all kinds of evil to avenge the ones he lost?
1. Prologue

**New story because I felt like writing one.**

**To put this into your dxd knowledge perspective, canon Issei got insanely OP in just a year. _A single fuckin year. _Imagine him after 5 years.**

**Enjoy, folks**

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**Rending Ruins**

* * *

**Prologue**

**||The Grieving Dragon||**

* * *

_'I told you so.'_

That damned phrase had kept pestering his mind the moment he found her. He could see that arrogant smirk as if what happened was all according to his prediction. As if there was some kind of invisible force devoted to prevent him from ever going back to live a normal life, a life he was forced to abandon five years ago.

He was weak, that time. So very weak that he found it hard to believe that he was once that powerless. But even then, without all these powers, without these so-called 'gifts' from a dead God, without having to know that there were hidden worlds in his world, Issei Hyoudou didn't really mind all that weak normalcy. He was just a stupid perverted boy who loved breasts more than anything in the world, but he really didn't mind that kind of life, now that he kept on missing those lost days.

_'Will you die for me?'_

He could never forget those words from that day. That day when he became a devil, when his humanity gradually shifted into one befitting the creature of Hell. When he had to train day and night, fighting allies and foes left and right, fighting the devils, for the devils' entertainment.

And for what? Recognition? Issei never cared about recognition. Sure it felt nice, but that wasn't the reason he fought for so long, beaten down only to rise back up.

A harem? That was just an old dream. A dream not much different to the dream of a child wanting to become a superhero, who then grew up and accepted the harsh reality that not all dreams are catchable. Issei could have gotten his harem long ago, but he decided against it. As he grew up, he came to learn that his unhealthy desire for breasts was just a mask. A mask to hide his debilitating fear of being rejected.

It was easier to accept being rejected because you are a pervert. Harder to accept being rejected because you are _you_.

As he matured to a young adult not just in age, he realized what he truly wanted most.

Call him a hopeless romantic but all he ever wished for was some love.

The breasts were a definite bonus, however.

_'I love you.'_

Three simple words that froze him in place. Widened his eyes, cast butterflies in his stomach, rushing blood to his head, and halted all reality as those three words echoed beautifully in his head. They said 'action speaks louder than words', but sometimes, hearing could lead to believing. Sometimes, hearing those words was all an idiot as dense like him needed to understand that he truly was loved. That he had found what he wanted.

Sometimes, those three words and a sincere smile were all he needed to get through the hardest of times.

But this time, it didn't work.

"I love you…"

Never had a kiss felt so sweet and yet left a bitter aftertaste.

Those words escaped her lips like a final sigh.

Denial poisoned his mind as choking sobs punched his chest.

"No... no, no, no- don't do this to me... don't you do this to me. You can't do this to me." A sob punched through his throat. "Please... Don't do this to me..."

Desperately, distraughtly, he lightly tapped her head and wiped the liquid dark red off her paling lips. She was so beautiful that she couldn't possibly be gone. Someone this beautiful couldn't be gone already.

But she was.

The only woman in his life he swore to protect, no matter what cost even if it was his own life, was dead. His tears fell onto her cheek, but he couldn't feel them. He had failed. The Dragon had failed. He had failed the one person that mattered to him.

He had failed his wife.

Issei finally took away a hand that was pressing the gaping wound on her heart, and cradled her lifeless body. Heat splashed behind his back as their house he had built himself, burned. Cinders and smokes danced in the wind as the red flames licked the night sky, unperturbed by the falling snow as its red flame consumed the rest of his physical memories, leaving nothing but debris of still burning wood and some useless junk.

She died, but he felt a part of him had just died along her. As if a huge chunk of his soul had just been snuffed away. He felt like a puzzle with a permanently missing piece, never to be found, never to be recovered.

That night, Issei Hyoudou grieved alone.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

Picture a snowy valley.

A gray sky.

A frozen lake.

A grave.

Surrounded by trees, hidden from sight, away from civilization, the Dragon buried his wife nearby an oak tree where she used to sing him a quiet lullaby. He could still hear her soft voice, whispering, bewitching him to the earlier days when the only thing he had to worry about was staying awake so he could listen to her.

Her reverie was cut short as another spoke to him. "…We're… sorry. Ise." A male's voice. The charismatic type that would never stutter. "I… I don't know what else I can say."

"Then zip it." Issei said. He even surprised himself at his own curtness, but in truth, he wanted to be left alone. If being rude could chase him away sooner, he'd be rude as needed.

If only he could do that; be an unapologetic asshole to anyone because he felt like shit. Issei truly wished he could be that asshole.

"…I'm sorry." Issei's tune softened, filled with regret. "I… Just leave me alone, alright? I'm… I'm not on the right kind of mood right now. Hey, I don't think a pair of bouncy breasts can cheer me up right now. Crazy right?"

He stiffened as he felt a hand on his shoulder. That simple gesture of reassurance gave the Dragon a fright. What a joke.

"It's alright to mourn her. Don't force yourself to not to. Be sad if you're sad, Ise. No one's watching you." The Crimson Satan quietly said as he withdrew his hand. "I'll do whatever I can to find whoever's responsible for this."

That earned the Dragon's attention.

"When you do…" Issei muttered. Rage brewing amidst the sorrow. "_IF _you do, Sirzechs. _I'm _the one who they'll first face. Not you. Not the Satans. Not whatever councils you have. Not even the Great King. But _me._"

"You've served me well through those years – of course I will. I'd say that goes without saying. Until then, take care, Ise. Be well." With a solemn nod, Sirzechs Lucifer disappeared in a flash of crimson light, leaving the Dragon alone with his thoughts.

Finally alone, Issei sat beside her, resting his back against the hard bark of the lone tree.

Someone murdered his wife. That wasn't a bullet that pierced through her heart. A bullet would leave a tinge of lead. A bullet wouldn't have burned her skin. But a magic bullet would.

That someone knew who he was, because that fucking someone didn't stand around waiting for him. That fucking coward killed her, burned their home, and took everything he had. Leaving behind not even a picture to remember her by. Not even their marriage photo. Not even a locket with her face inside, because Issei just had to leave it in his dresser that day when he went out for his usual routine; drinking at a nearby village at the bottom of the hill with his new normal friends.

All he had was their gold rings, now kept close to him, never to be let go. His one his left ring finger, and hers on his silver necklace. A memento to serve as a reminder, that whoever that bastard was, be it a group or an entire organization, Issei would find them.

He would find them. They didn't need to pay for what they had done, Issei would destroy them nonetheless.

But first, he had to find them. And once he had set his sight, a Dragon never lost their prey. Be it a grieving dragon or not.

**{Don't worry partner.} **The Crimson Dragon Emperor, his one true companion, finally roused his gravelly voice after a year of silence when his help was unneeded. Just like his host, he was filled with unbridled rage. **{We'll kill them.} **

Those words had since then became his words to live by, as Issei swore to rend ruins from his enemies. Be they an enemy from the past, present or future, there wouldn't be any difference in his treatment.

He'll kill them.

**{We'll kill them all}**

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**_To be continued_**

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**Issei is 5 years older than canon, yes. But the story is AU. What happened in those 5 years may not be faithful to canon. So screw you, canon. This is my story and canons can sod right off**

**I'm guessing you're curious who's Issei's wife – well, _ex-_wife - Then keep this story alive by following it and favoriting it. Yes, I am making the continuation of my story as a hostage**

**So, the last few protags of my stories has been pretty chill all around. Lucifer's jovial, Issei's pretty much still Issei (both in Everyday Life with Supernatural Girls and Death's Chosen). I've been wanting to try out a revenge-ish fic where Issei is just one bad mofo, but keep him pretty grounded in terms of edginess. Because dudes, I don't want to create a sasuke 2.0 DxD version**

**I get that angst is pretty hard to write without making it _edgy _since people like to label something remotely edgy as edgy. But I want to write one without making you cut your eyes just by reading - if that makes sense. Ye, I want to avoid that. **

**BUT. If you ever happen to think '_aight fam, this is pretty edge_.' Let me know. If not, let me now too because I love reviews. All writers do. Except reviews that are just 'nice'. Thanks but fuck-a-you **

**SO. **

**Remember, favorite and follow this story if you want to see more. I'm someone who's easily motivated and easily demotivated. Think of me as your clingy internet girlfriend - nohomotho**


	2. Memoir, the Cruel Mistress

**I only write stuff up here **

**because fanfic screw up **

**the story format otherwise**

**Enjoy, folks**

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**Rending Ruins**

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**Chapter I**

**||Memoir, the Cruel Mistress||**

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Murasame.

A cursed blade that could kill with just a single nick. A tiny cut would spread a deathly curse through the victim's body, progressing towards the heart and stopping it within seconds.

It was the sole reason why she had to wear gloves when she had to wield it, which translated to pretty much whenever she had to do a contract, or when she had to clean the blade from its recent victim.

She saw the reflection of her red eyes as she pushed the wiping cloth from the base to the tip of her katana. She liked keeping her sword well-polished. The curse had ensured the blade would never chip or rust, but there were only a few things in the world that she could flaunt about freely and without shame. Keeping her equipment in mint-condition was one of those small pride.

"Yooo! Akame-chin~ we got a new one."

It was fortunate that Akame wasn't one easy to startle. Otherwise, she would be dead a plenty of times since her colleague never seemed to realize unopened doors could be knocked first, instead of barging in like the buffoon she was.

Exhaling a sigh, Akame trained her eye at her much upbeat companion. Unlike her, who preferred to wear mostly black to help blend in the cover of the darkness, Leone preferred to bare her midriff and expose her inner thighs. Granted, she wore black tube top and black shorts – that really looked like an underwear, but Akame had given up on insisting that.

She could have at least dyed her stark blonde hair black though. That way people would believe them easier if she said they were sisters.

"When can you learn to knock, Leone? I've even put up a sign."

"Ehh… really? I didn't read." Leone shrugged. "Well who cares anyway- look. We just got a job, and this one looks like he's one tough cookie." She then whipped out an envelope from her back, holding its white appearance and small photo on her other hand. "This got in to our address somehow… no sender but… hey, there's some check and it has a lot of zeros there."

The fact that it had no address should arise some questions, but Akame had received dozens of those letters without name, only targets. Frankly, that was all that mattered.

She then took a sniff at said check – a habit Akame would always be confused about its origins. "Yep. Smelled like money. Tons of dough. _And _it's just the down payment. Seems like they just want this guy gone that badly if you ask me…" Leone scrutinized the square photograph that wasn't bigger than her palm for a moment. "…Shame. He's pretty cute."

They had killed enough of 'pretty cute' people for Akame to not worry about Leone falling for their target's charm.

Leone shifted the picture, looking at its white back. "It's got an address too. Oh! He lives at some cabin in the mountains...Northern Japan. Tsk, that's a day trip." She'd rather have a closer job, but since the pay quadrupled her normal ones, she couldn't grumble much. "But a hermit eh? You'd never guess. He looks pretty young."

Good. Seclusion meant she didn't need to be concerned about onlookers. Akame calmly sheathed her sword and started to gear up, grabbing her combat boots and looking for her black trench coat.

"Are there any other details about him?"

"Hmm… other than he's Hyoudou Issei, not much. He's got a good body; I tell you that much." Leered Leone. "Killing him would be a waste… but eh well. Money's money."

"Hyoudou Issei…" Akame repeated, as if to get a taste. That name didn't ring any bell, fortunately enough. Akame rarely forget names, whether or not it belonged to the dead or the still living.

"Leaving now? Alright!" Leone smacked a fist with her palm, no doubt eager from the amount of riches waiting for her. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner I get to waste all my share!"

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**_Break_**

* * *

Both assassins had long since dropped the worry of killing an innocent. Firstly, an _innocent _rarely had a bounty with multiple zeros. Secondly, ignorance is bliss. The less they knew about the person's virtues and good deeds they had done, the better. In an occupation like theirs, hesitance could kill.

Which was why they both had forsaken that quality; being hesitant. Quick and precise, that was their proverb. A plain hitman job shouldn't take more than ten minutes after they had found their target, it was only a matter of patience.

They spotted him a bit further than his rumored location, at a frozen lake some miles away. He seemed to be resting under the shade of a tree, next to what appeared to be a grave.

Leone bounced on the balls of her feet, her now longer hair bouncing along, raring to have a go. But this wasn't her turn. Her turn was when Plan A failed; if Akame either missed her opportunity or being stealthy would take too much time. In that case, Plan B. Go loud.

But that rarely occurred. One nick was all she needed. There was no natural cover between the trees they were hiding and the tree shielding him from the falling snow. She had to make a sprint to get to him fast, or let Leone throw her to not make any avoidable noise from scrunching the snow underneath her boots.

As Akame readied her blade, he appeared next to her, already twisting his body mid-air.

"GH-?!" A fierce kick struck her stomach, and the bark of the tree momentarily stopped her from flying – until the tree itself broke. Winds buzzed her hearing as Akame flew and crashed, tumbling across the thin sheet of snow. Blood spewed out her mouth.

"Well you're not so boring as I thought aren't ya?!" Leone gladly chipped in from her spot that was next to Akame until she was blown away. Strengthened by her beastly power, a single blow of her now clawed fists could punch through a body like paper, not to mention the speed alone was like a bullet.

Shock momentarily coursed through her thoughts as she thought wrong. Not only he dodged it almost without effort, he drove a fist up her jaw that would have shattered her skull if not for Lionelle's heightened resilience. She was sent airborne still, but flipped back down a distance away from him, now fully aware of what he was.

Whatever it was, he wasn't anyone ordinary.

"I think you should consider_ not screaming _next time. Isn't that the whole point of being stealthy?"

Great. He was sassy too. Her personal favorite for a punching bag. Reigniting her fighting spirit, Leone grinned gladly as she took the offensive.

Her first punch gave birth to two and three more, aimed at his face with full intent to knock him out cold with just one. All of which he dodged with some twists and turns and a slightly annoyed look, not once moving from his spot as if to belittle her fighting skills.

Even as Leone struck him squarely in his chest, he didn't move an inch. Let alone wincing.

With a confused look, Leone retracted her pawed hand that was akin to a lion, staring at their furred appearance as if there was something wrong with them. "The hell's going on?"

"I really don't have time for this. Sorry." Her target spoke, and Leone only managed to get a glimpse of his brown eyes before a purple visor replaced it, covering his head and body in a full-fledged crimson armor, complete with protruding scales and a helmet that resembled the skull of a dragon.

When he disappeared from sight, Leone could only mutter to herself. "You've gotta be shitting me."

A gauntleted fist crashed to her face, sending her clean through several trees as she felt them crashing against her back. Before the fifth one, she managed to regain her composure and spun in the air, catching the fifth tree and used it to propel her back to the crimson armor.

She flung to the air like an arrow, but the man took a step to his left just as her fists about to hit his helmeted face, and brought up an uppercut that bashed her stomach, sending her upwards, leaving a spatter of blood and spit.

"Tch." Spinning in the air as the world turned upside down, Leone somersaulted herself backwards and landed on her feet. The snow under her crumpled, and some had red specks after she spat out a glob of blood.

She eyed him as the man stood in a lax stance, obviously not perceiving her as a threat. She spared a glance past him, and saw Akame had barely gotten up. She was still sitting down, clutching at the torn part of her black shirt as she struggled to breathe. Ugly red and blue bruises marred her fair stomach. The swordswoman didn't have the build to last long against someone who could break down her spine in just a single punch. She was more of a glass cannon.

But Leone did.

Hungry for revenge, she cracked her jaw as she loosened her arms, stretching them right after. "Don't get too confident now. That was just me warming up."

She expected another sarcastic reply, but the armor made little reaction, aside from tapping his foot.

"Tch… bastard. Taking me lightly huh?" No one underestimate her and lived. Armored or not. Bright yellow aura emanated from her body as her long wavy blonde hair seemingly flared like flames.

In truth, Issei had never underestimated anyone. He let them think that he was taking light on them, but he never did. He treated all fights like his last, even to fights that had an obvious outcome such as this one. Mostly, his opponents would get pissed, mad, and let loose on him to show their worth, which sometimes did increase their power, but sometimes also made them fight driven by emotions.

Unlike the roaring blonde brawler, Issei kept his emotions in check. There was no sorrow. There was no room for hesitancy. No room for mercy. Mercy was reserved until the fight was over. Only focus and flaring resolve to annihilate resistance.

Leone rushed at him and let loose of a hail of pinpoint punches. Jaw, solar plexus, and the center of his chest. Issei blocked all of them and remained defensive, letting her maraud him with various jabs, hooks and crosses, several kicks to the side of his leg and his body. He let her have her fun as he narrowed down her fighting style.

A kickboxer mixed with karate, but mostly a kickboxer. Right-handed and right-legged, since she had her right leg in front of her all the time.

She was quite fast too, moving like a yellow flash as she roundhouse-kicked him, connecting the bridge of her foot to the side of his helmet. And resilient, not to mention. Ordinary people would have cracked the bones of their hand and legs after hitting him in his full Juggernaut Drive armor. Minus the 'wings', at the moment.

She was well-trained that she could take on a high-class Devil with significant ease in close combat. Not a cheap assassin by any means, which meant whoever hired her, had the wealth to hire her.

As she continued to land blows on him, likely to mistaking it as her winning the fight, Issei wondered when was the last time he ever used his normal scale mail. Several years ago, probably. He wasn't an expert in remembering things that happened when several years had passed.

He realized he had lost his focus. A year of apparent retirement must had made him rusty.

Paying attention to the ongoing flurry of blows he was receiving, Issei watched the brawler tire herself out. He didn't feel any of her attacks. A mild shaking was the most 'pain' he felt since his armor drained all the damage.

As she jumped to the air, intending to bring her knee to his face, he finally made a move. A palm blocked her knee while his other fist collided against her jaw, sending her flying and spiraling in the air. He blitzed her before she recovered, and copied her move. Twisting his body, Issei delivered a brutal roundhouse kick that sent her across the trees.

Ten trees in total had been destroyed since the beginning of the fight. He made a mental note to replant them properly later on.

The snow grazed her face and body as Leone used her claw to grip the soil, stopping her flight. Conveniently, she was next to her companion.

"Are you okay?"

"…Yeah. Sorta." Though still clutching her stomach, Akame finally recuperated from her injury. She might be more brittle than her, but Akame wasn't exactly that weak either that she couldn't handle a punch. She just couldn't handle a punch from a fucking Emperor Dragon wielder.

She had only noticed he wasn't a human when he started donning that armor. She thought it was only a replica. She thought wrong, obviously.

That was a dangerous punch indeed. She still felt a little bit dizzy from that despite her strength. "This isn't looking good. He's beating me up good. Lionelle can't take much more of this. Time to bail."

But Issei didn't let them have any rest or any time to exchange more pleasantries or come up with a better plan than just sneaking up to him. To the untrained eyes unfamiliar to the supernatural prowess, they couldn't see him. But for Akame and Leone's trained eyes, they could only see a crimson blur turning into a crimson armor in front of them.

Akame raised her sword to cast a simple guard, but was hit at her back instead that sent her rolling across another sheet of snow. Leone had more of a reaction time as she met him in his path, no longer smiling as she caught his hands, gripping them tight. It caused him to stop his advance abruptly.

"Hehe, caught you."

But the armor tilted his head, and bashed her head with it. The blow drove her to her knees and scraped her forehead, but as he was still holding her hands, she now hung in an awkward position until a knee gutted her. It gutted her, _hard_. A mixture of blood and spit punched through her mouth as Leone coughed, dropping to her knees once he let go of her.

The armor clanged as Akame struck his back repeatedly to no avail, no matter how hard she swung her cursed blade, no matter how desperate she was to help her beaten friend, she couldn't break through his armor. She couldn't find his weak spots – normally at the connection between the helmet and the neck, the armpits, the elbow, the back of the thighs, the back of the knees, but Murasame couldn't pierce it. The curse couldn't work if her sword didn't make contact with his skin, and that armor had rendered her main strength useless.

Then the crimson scales on his back burst out, sending sharp crimson scales at her. Backing away, Akame swiftly parried all that she could see, but some had nicked her sides and cut her trench coat as well as her arm.

Fear and hopeless terror started to seep in once she saw the suit of armor picking up her compatriot who was still unsteady from his previous assault, and Akame shouted Leone's name as he leapt up, high up in sky, and slammed down the blonde brawler headfirst into the frozen lake, creating a loud crack and a massive splash as the two plunged into the freezing water.

Through bleary vision, Leone saw a hint of red floating with the water as she felt a sharp pain on top of her head. The next second, she was struggling for air as he landed another blow on her stomach, causing the air in her lungs to shoot through her mouth, turning into bubbles as the surface seemed to go further and further from her reach.

He was drowning her.

Panicking, Leone clawed at the single arm that was keeping her down, trying to unbind his grip. The bastard had his grip loose that she could feel herself suffocating from the lack of air, not due to being choked. She glared at him, at whatever face he was making underneath that damned helmet.

"LEOONEEE!"

She couldn't hear her clearly underwater, but she thought Akame was shouting for her. Sure enough, the black-clad assassin dipped into the water herself, Muramasa in hand as she thrust downward.

Issei only felt a 'thunk' at the top of his helmet.

**{It seems even assassins can have bonds.}**

_'Strangely enough.'_

One thing was for certain; he couldn't question either of them if they drown themselves trying to be each other's hero.

With one hand gripping the brawler around her neck, and the other gripping the swordswomen's blade, Issei activated his jets. Bubbles rose as intense heat instantly boiled the water underneath his boots, and Issei brought the two assassins back to land. He threw them to the snow that would soften their fall, but by no means he would forgive them just yet.

Leone took a loud gasp of air as she held her throat, coughing water and blood as the same red liquid oozed down from her head and forehead. But she healed and recovered quickly. She was using the last available reserve of her animalistic power, but she would need them if she wanted to get them both out of this mess.

**{That one doesn't look as brittle. How she's still on her feet is impressive.}**

_'I noticed.'_ Issei watched her stand yet again, whereas her other compatriot had to use her sword as a support to help her stand.

**{I felt something like a lion from her. She's no ordinary beastkin since she has spouted all that blood earlier and can still fight. Something in her allows her to recover quickly. Ye think she's got the Nemean Lion?}**

_'Don't ask me, I'm no Azazel.' _Issei's reply was dismissive.

He could always ask questions later since they shot first. Issei didn't pride himself much in the art of 'interrogation', or as he liked to say 'getting what he wanted through display or example of violence', but Issei wasn't half bad at it. In fact, being Sirzechs' Enforcer pretty much gave him all the experience needed to be deemed an Expert Interrogator.

He knew where to start, at least.

The blonde brawler didn't hesitate to rush at him, using the last bit of her beastly power. He appreciated that since he didn't have to a time-wasting chase scene with her. She was far slower and he caught her by her throat this time, and as she struggled, he slammed both their head, rendering her half-unconscious in his grip as he walked to a nearby giant rock. He felt bad hearing the desperate cry of the black-haired assassin as she kept on slashing his back to no effect, but it wasn't his fault she couldn't pierce a Dragon's armor.

"A..kame… run…!" Drenched in freezing water, the brawler managed between her choking sounds. She screamed as Issei slammed her back against the rock, creating a small crack that spread like a spiderweb. As some blood spurt against his green visor, he noticed her animal-like ears were starting to fade, as were the yellow-furred claws on her hands.

"Talk." He demanded.

"Make… me." Leone brought her leg to clash against his side; a meek display of struggle.

At that point, the sword wielder had thrown away her sword, lodging it somewhere at the snow.

"Stop it! Stop! Stop it please!"

_'Don't I feel like the bad guy.' _But an example needed to be set. And though he had set a massive one, Issei felt like relieving some of his stress. Casting a coil-like magic, he wrapped the brawler's wrists together as she was held against the rock.

For a moment, he allowed all his feelings to resettle inside him. Then he unloaded his grief, all his lament, his anger, all his frustrations, all his regrets, into one brutal blow right to the brawler's gut. The rock that was twice his size shattered from the shockwave that went through her body, and Leone puked an unhealthy amount of blood, some splattering on his crimson armor, as her blonde hair somehow shortened to her shoulders, and fell limply to the snow.

Though she fainted, Issei was surprised that she didn't die.

"LEONE!"

The black-haired assassin rushed to her friend, ignoring the amor as she clutched her head in her arms. She wasn't unharmed, and her dignity as an assassin had been trashed and torn, but she fared better compared to Leone.

"She's not dead. Well, not yet." Issei said, still on his suit of armor. It was quite cold and his armor was quite warm. "You both will if you don't start telling me everything you think I want to know."

Her crimson eyes avoided him completely. Issei had successfully killed her will to fight. "I… I don't know… We received an envelope yesterday without a named sender..."

"Yesterday? When? Where were you?"

"Kuoh. We got it around midnight."

Kuoh… What an unfunny coincidence.

No time for memories yet.

"South... Midnight…" Issei determined that was several hours of travel – minutes if he could just fly there. His wife was killed _before _midnight. And if the sender was related to his wife's murder, that meant they had planned to use the assassins. "…An unnamed sender… huh."

But why would they bother sending the assassins against him if they knew who he was? Two assassins couldn't take down a Dragon.

This smelled like a red herring. A false lead for him to track, to divert his attention using his desperation for any kinds of lead to cast him astray the right one. The sender could be unrelated to his wife's murder for all he knew.

Too little information to start deducing. He was not one renowned for his detective acumen anyway, but he was not one to jump into conclusions either. Issei learned from his mistakes.

"It has your picture in it and your address… we've burnt it down. We don't keep any proof." She was biting back her fear and tears. Admirable. She probably didn't want to be seen anymore weaker than he had showed her.

"That so…" A crimson glow flashed as Issei returned to his normal winter attire. Brown suede jacket, tusk-white pants, a scarf, and a beanie covering his brown hair that needed some trims. They were touching his shoulders now.

Now that he didn't have to worry about any resistance, Issei studied the two -admittedly failed- assassins. They both knew their trades. The black-haired one looked younger than him, but she knew how to handle a sword. The blonde seemed around his age and definitely knew how to shatter someone's bones. And a beastkin as well, just like that bratty Phenex's two slaves/servants/fuckbuddies. They didn't look foreign either, and he felt that somewhere in the back of his memories, he had heard of these two during his days slaving for Sirzechs.

Black and yellow… Right. _That_ group of two hitmen. _Hitwomen_. The high-classed devils often hired them when they needed a discreet approach in eliminating some 'threats' from smaller Houses. Nobody batted an eye since devils were so blinded by hierarchy and stature.

Some individual devils were worthy of praises, but overall? It was one garbage society, filled with chauvinistic nobles who couldn't accept the fact that their race was dying, and their whole idea of 'Purity in Leadership' was a sad distant dream. He wouldn't be surprised if some devilish pricks wanted to try and rid the reincarnated devils from their darling Underworld.

**{Yer going off a tangent there, partner. I understand your reasoning, but what are you going to do? Kill them?}**

_'Depends.'_

Closing her white eyes and wiping the blood off her jaw, Akame cradled her friend's beaten body. She cringed at the sight of the glaring red mark on her stomach. If that was her, that single punch would have cleaved her clean through.

"How… how did you know?"

"I knew you're here since you found my burnt house." Issei replied, keeping his tone and expression flat. A Dragon's sense of smell shouldn't be disregarded. "I won't kill you since you were just doing your job." He said, surprising the black-haired assassin. "I will, however, if you refuse my offer."

Akame gulped down her pride and saliva. "…What is it do you want from us? Sekiryuutei?"

Issei raised an eyebrow. "You're aware of what they call me?"

"I'm aware… only now. …Rumors said that you died." Akame said carefully, wary of whatever might come next. "I never saw your face in person... if I had, then I-"

"Wouldn't bother trying? I know. That's why you're still alive." Issei completed, and Akame nodded silently. "But rumors… Facts can be misleading whereas rumors, true or false, are often revealing. Or completely misleading since people believe in them if no one ever bothered to set it straight. So tell me. What other rumors have you heard of me. How exactly did I die?"

Finding a little bit of courage inspired from his rather friendly tone, Akame lifted her eyes to see him. He was taller than the average Japanese person. His built seemed average, but who could tell that those clothes had hidden a body that had been went through hell and back for years. After all, no mere trained body could have defeated a Lucifer.

"…That you died when you fought Rizevim Livan Lucifer."

Issei nodded. Good. Precisely as he wanted people to believe. The precise lie he wanted Sirzechs and some others to spread about him. Unfortunately, those lies didn't keep him off from _that life _he wanted to abandon. Unfortunately, those lies weren't enough to keep his wife safe.

Darkness clouded his heart, and Issei quickly moved on. "Right… so. About my proposition before we get sidetracked… I have an offer. You two becoming my spies, and find whoever the hell hired you, or, I can kill you right here, right now, and spare you the trouble."

Akame hesitated. Was she really weighing death and a life of servitude?

If so, Issei gave a little push to his desired answer. "Of course, if you agree, you'll get paid. I'll even look after your friend, free of charge. I won't treat you harshly or be rude, I just want to hire you. But swear to me that you'll find whoever sent you. _Swear to me _that you and your friend will obey whatever I say. Don't worry though, I won't make you do what I won't do myself."

There weren't many things he'd refuse. He had done many bad things, but she didn't need to know that. Besides, she was an assassin herself. How could a Satan's Enforcer have more humanity than an assassin?

"Remember," Issei continued, "whatever how much they were paying you; I'll beat it. But you don't look like someone who would dedicate her life for money, do you. Your friend, on the other hand, probably would."

He was spot on in that. Akame didn't even need to say a word since he figured it out from her half-lidded eyes and deadpanned reaction.

"I'll ask again, this time's the last time. Be my eyes, or die. What's your call, assassin?"

"We'll be your eyes." Akame answered with confidence. A fearless look in her crimson eyes had returned at last. "I swear it."

"You call that a swear? You can do better than that. Add your name and mine."

"Wh… what's your name?"

"Issei. Hyoudou Issei."

Nodding, Akame knelt down and restarted her oath. "I, Akame, swear with my life that I will abide anything Hyoudou Issei wished of me in exchange for redemption for an attempt at his life."

Issei allowed a smile on his lips. "Much better. Then allow me." He opened his gloved hand, showing his empty palm as small black vortex whirred on top of it, spinning and compressing itself into a small black pill, not much bigger than a fingernail. "This'll let me know of your locations, and only me. Side effects may vary, but nothing harmful I assure you. Think of this as a formality to seal our pact."

As she took the small tablet, He watched as she swallowed it. It was more than a tracker, in fact, it was more alike to the crimson, crystal-made, eight pawn chess pieces that Sirzechs used to turn him into a devil. Ajuka's research had allowed him to combine the Agreas crystal to make the Evil Pieces and his Dragonic essence, resulting in a potent and convenient item to turn whoever he wanted to his servants.

The Dragon's servants.

Ajuka aptly -or rather, uninspiringly- named his invention as Dragon's Oath, since whoever consumed it will be bound to the Dragon's will until the Dragon had enough. Which meant, it could last forever if Issei wanted to.

Issei just didn't bother on using the name. It was essentially his version of Evil Pieces anyway, only less devilish and more dragonic.

Initially, he wanted to use them as he grew his harem. That idea was well abandoned when he found love instead. But now, he could use some help in finding whoever was responsible in taking his life. Two expert assassins that could and have snuck in the devil's highly guarded castles or mansions, without ever once being caught, would most certainly be a valuable asset.

More so as he planned to bless them with his power. Besides, he could put aside his sorrow while he watched them grow. He'd take anything to battle that fucking depressing feeling, that numbing emptiness in his heart, that undying rage wanting to just explode in his body.

One had to wonder, what could the Dragon's Assassins do?

"…Wh-what should I call you by…?" Akame muttered. She was starting to shiver under the cold air, and the fact that the water drenching her clothes were starting to freeze as well really didn't help her struggle against the cold bites.

Issei plainly took off his brown suede jacket and draped it on her shoulders. He was fine with just his red shirt. A Dragon had never been winter's bitch. The assassin gratefully accepted his help, muttering a silent thank you. But instead of wearing it, she took off his jacket and draped it on Leone's body.

That made him twirl his scarf and lent it to her.

"…Thank you." Akame muttered as she gingerly wrapped the cloth around her neck, relieved by the warmth.

"Welcome." Issei replied simply.

**{She's not a bad girl.}**

_'Just bad occupation.'_ Issei surmised.

**{Bah. Yours is likely worse.}**

_'That's subjective.'_

Cutting the inner chatter with Ddraig, he gave his answer. "Just Ise would be fine in private. Hyoudou or Issei or Ise. Use honorifics if you want, I don't really care, honestly. I'll let you think of whatever you want to call me with whenever you're unsure we're alone."

"Master… Would that be alright?"

That single word sent him to the past. Five years ago, he would go crazy if a girl this cute called him 'master'. It would be nice to go back to those years so he could just be happy about it, instead of feeling conflicted.

"Sure." He said. "You're Akame, and she's Leone, right? No family names?" Akame nodded. Not one of many words seemed like. Quiet, straight, and professional when she didn't have to fear her friend's death. Very assassin-like, only with more honor.

…Why did he have to go back to this entire thing again? Sooner or later, those magical idiots would notice his apparent revival. He'd get dragged in new and old troubles. He'd have to face idiots who think they could stop him, or use him to their advantage.

But to hell with all of that. Heaven or Hell, Realm of the Dead, Olympus, Grigori, Qlippoth's Remnants, whatever they came from, it wouldn't matter. Even if he had to beat down every single deities to get the truth, he'd do it.

All for her.

Without realizing, Issei had let his sight wandered over the distant grave under the untouched oak tree. He had made sure the fight would never reach there, not even leaving a tiny scratch on either grave or tree. He succeeded in doing so. At least he didn't fail her in that.

Akame followed his gaze, and it wasn't hard to decipher the eyes of someone hurting. She had often seen those kinds of eyes, the sorrowful, distant look. Though normally she saw them from her victims, not from her employer.

She took note of the silver necklace worn over his red shirt, taking special note at the single golden ring that seemed the same with the one adorning his left ring finger, the one that he had subconsciously touched since he had been staring at the grave.

It wasn't hard to connect the pieces. Terrifying as his power was, it was rather overwhelming to realize how human he looked despite his identity as a Dragon.

Whoever lied beneath that grave must had been someone special to him. How does someone conquer a dragon's heart? Akame wondered, though she probably wouldn't get an immediate answer. The dead couldn't tell tales, but the living could tell the tales of the dead.

Only, she doubted he would share his story.

As she studied him, watching his hazel brown eyes and the slight frown curving his lips, a single realization then echoed in her mind like an idle thought.

_'Even Dragons mourn.'_

* * *

**_To be continued_**

* * *

**Issei's still a bit sappy, ye. Obviously. A day hasn't passed yo**

**I just can't help it. I had to. Surely there's the assassin dudes that the major factions hired if they want to keep their hands of the dirt. Besides, despite the giant cast, no one really fitted in the stealthy side. Maybe Dulio but he's Michael's Ace. Can't just steal him and make him Issei's bitch**

**Is it me, or everyone in DxD just have this super showy power that super showy power isn't really cool anymore **

**That said, I don't really want to bring an entire cast of every single action anime known in the universe. That's just tiring. DxD already has an insane amount of cast I still want to use anyway. It's just that no one fits the 'sneaky assassin' bill**

**I mean come on. Irina? Don't joke around. Xenovia? Srsly. Freed? Lmao. I was going to use Isabela from Riser's peerage instead of Leone, but she's too 'meh' imo**

**Although, let me know if you have someone from other show that you think can fit in the DxD world. And be logical, alright. Don't just suggest someone because you want them. I handpicked both Akame and Leone since they fit in almost seamlessly. Cool swords and cool transformation aren't strangers in the DxD world and won't change much. **

**I can't use someone from say, a Persona games, because that'll distort the DxD laws too much for me to bother **

**Remember, favorite and follow this story if you want to see more. And feckin review ye feckers**


	3. Numbing Truth

**Same reason like last one**

**i write stoof**

**because ff mess teh format **

**okbye**

* * *

**Rending Ruins**

* * *

**Chapter II**

**||Numbing Truth||**

* * *

Love and sorrow, the twins.

Love came first; sweet and strong, its embalming warmth captivating even the most deranged hearts. He let those fond memories settled themselves, filling him with a brief moment of happiness. A reverie of the good old times. Then the sorrow arrived. The cruel realization that those good old times were just that. Memories. That never again he could be the same person, as sorrow pummeled him down with anesthetizing almost sobering kind of distress.

Taking a deep breath, resting his eyes, letting himself drown in the sentimental memories, Issei then reopened his eyes and erased any traces from his mourning. Buried them all beneath a mask and a lopsided half-smile.

"Normally this is when I'd let you in my house." He said casually, unusually brightly for someone so deep in grief. "Hang around, chill out for a while… get to know each other- but you saw what it is like."

"I'm sorry." Akame nodded duly, this time with a slight expression of sadness. She had noticed his thousand-yards stare earlier.

"Eh… let's not get sappy. I'd book a hotel, but hotels don't usually accept weapons or injured people. Neither do hospitals. Do you have a place? Temporarily?"

"We've recently bought a house in Kuoh."

Issei didn't make any face, but inside, he felt his stomach tied itself to a knot. Of course, it had to be that place. It couldn't be Tokyo, it couldn't be in Kyoto, it couldn't be somewhere further south or maybe the next island. No. It had to be Kuoh.

Had to be his hometown out of all places.

Issei didn't let his mild surprise show. "I thought assassins stay nomadic."

"We were thinking of settling down for a while… actually." Akame admitted. "The deposit for you added enough to last us several months." Unless Leone burnt them all in women and booze.

"Oh." Issei scratched the back of his ear. "Sorry about that."

"It's… alright." Akame muttered. "Please don't be. It's our loss... Master."

"You don't have to keep calling me that every time you speak." Either way, he had set his next destination.

Crimson scales materialized out of the thin air just inches away from his body, appearing like tiny shards of glasses, before plummeting themselves over his skin, forming a nigh-impenetrable armor that was like a second skin for him. The whole process occurred under a blink of an eye.

Akame shifted away as her new Master knelt by her unconscious compatriot. Bruises from earlier fights had started to show on her unprotected stomach, marring the toned skin, which meant Lionelle had lied in dormant again. Which meant that the Nemean Lion had been beaten down so significantly that it couldn't heal its host's body.

The thought caused the assassin to shudder as Issei picked up Leone to his arms, but Akame realized; Lions don't stand a chance to a Dragon.

"Come." Issei ushered, stretching out a gauntleted hand. Its dark green jewel reflecting the high sun. "Hang on to me."

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

Four years. Four years he had spent away, and this city had never changed. He could see his high school and its two buildings, its gym and the place where the kendo girls change their clothes. The park and the fountain where he died, the shopping district he used to play arcades until the sun came down. Memories of his old, peaceful life echoed fondly, temporarily easing his grieving soul.

"Are- are we there yet?!" A terrified shriek erupted on his back as Akame was clinging for her dear life. She had her arms around his neck, while he carried her still unconscious friend, now wearing his jacket over her raunchy black tube top.

Because he had other passengers, Issei had to slow down his speed gradually. Otherwise, he'd break their neck from whiplash. He stopped just among the lower clouds, and used enough basic concealment magic to hide them from any watchful eyes and causing an uproar in social medias. It was afternoon too, and he didn't like the heat of the sun that much after getting used to a wintry place.

Leisurely, he landed at the backyard of a house that was their hideout, taking off his magic as they were protected by the tall brick fences. Rather in plain sight, but there was a reason 'hidden in plain sight' existed.

"We're here." He said plainly as his Juggernaut armor disintegrated into millions of tiny crimson pieces. They phased through their bodies without harm, before completely fading like a melting snow. "You can get off my back now."

"Th-thank you…" Akame happily hopped off his back, grateful for land. Although, it didn't take long for her to regain her composure. "…You're impressive, Master. I've only told you the city and address and yet you knew instantly where to go."

"It's not that impressive once you figured out the magic." Issei said dismissively as he took in the outer appearance of the house. Same exact house he had come to miss from time to time. His old house that didn't look much different to its neighbors. "…Nice house. Do you know its owners before?"

"An old couple." Akame replied. Her voice and expression were straight, but her legs were still shaking a little from the extremely speedy trip. "They passed away several years ago, if I recall correctly. Natural causes, it seems."

"Ah, is that so?" Age was just a number, until he realized he wasn't the only one growing older. It sucked having to bury your parents, and it sucked more knowing that you weren't able to give them the grandchild they so wished on doting.

He still remembered their words when he offered them a longer life. An extended life as a supernatural, but they had to say no.

_"We've lived as who we are for nearly our entire life, son. We did what we wanted done. We've been happy – we **are **happy. You make us happy, dear Ise. Our happiness lies within you. Now we want you to find where your happiness lies. You have your own world now. Don't bother yourself with us old bones, maybe a couple of visits from time to times, maybe when you finally get us a grandkid or grandchildren, no? Hahaha!"_

Issei swallowed an invisible spit. He was dozing off again. He never dozed off. This whole thing was really taking its toll on him.

But it was all in the past. A sorrow buried under a new one that offered a fresher kind of pain that kept gnawing him from time to time, reminding him the reason why he was here, and not in his burnt down house.

**{Want me to leave you be for a while?}**

_'Yeah. That'd be nice.'_

With that, Ddraig severed their mental connection, no longer able to hear his host's somber and sobering thoughts.

"Please, make yourself at home." Akame limped to the backdoor as she took out a set of keys hidden underneath a clay pot. Picking a key, it clicked as she opened the door.

Issei smirked. The same lazy security measures even for new residents. His parents used to hide a spare house key there too, for him to open the doors whenever he stayed late at his friend's. They were rather loose with him, but he knew they treasured him so much. After all, after three failed childbirth, how could they not?

He was their pride and joy. Issei hoped they could turn a blind eye for all that he had done as a devil, and all that he would do to those that wronged him. He wished for his parents to rest at ease.

As Akame held out the door for him, holding her sheathed sword in the other hand, Issei carried Leone. Akame shut the door as she followed behind him. The layout was exactly the same. Same furniture. Same TV. The same end-tables his mom would put just because she didn't want a corner to feel lonely. Some dusts here and there, but nothing crazily dirty. These two kept their house fair.

He lied Leone on the tan couch. The same couch where his father would lounge around, laughing at the stupidest of jokes from a game show, and his mother would sit at another sofa while waiting for her daily Korean drama.

"…You've lived here, haven't you?"

Issei managed a smile. "I wasn't being discreet, was I."

"No." Akame replied with piercing simplicity. "You seem familiar with this house's layout to be your first time entering. I've never mentioned anything about the living room, yet you headed straight here."

"Could just be some dumb luck." Issei shrugged. "It's an open living room, just down the hallway."

"I don't believe in luck." Akame responded. "I mean no offense, Master, but I can recognize the way you look at the furniture, and you don't seem to be an appraiser to me."

Issei made a semi-amused noise; blowing a short burst of air through his nose. "Alright then. You caught me red-handed. Now why don't you fetch something to treat your friend? Do you have any balm or some gel for her bruises? And get a pack of ice as well, will you."

"We stock up on medicines upstairs. Should I some ibuprofen?"

"Sure." Some painkillers wouldn't. Hey, that's their job; killing pain.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

"…So… what do you want us to do? Can I have a clearer description of our task?"

"Right." Issei placed his feet on the short coffee table, putting a heel on top the other. "The only lead so far is that envelope, which you burned. Do you notice anything different from it?"

Akame shook her head while keeping a hand pressed on the blue sack of ice cubes on Leone's stomach. "It's an ordinary white envelope. A cheap one at that. I can't tell whose handwriting it is, but it's in cursive. Still, I've seen these kinds of handwriting from many people I've met."

"Is this the first time you get this kind of letters? Without sender, without names, just a picture?"

"No. We've received some without any photos either."

Issei pondered a few seconds. "You assassins have some kind of a high-end organization, no?" He didn't let her answer this one, because he knew. "Do you think it's them?"

Though reluctant at first, Akame felt obliged to tell him the truth. "I…I'm not sure. If it's from them, it's more formal. More professional, or so to speak. They send someone to meet us in person."

That meant they had received an offer from those higher ups stuck-ups. They had worked for other races as well, not just Devils alone. This just broadened his potential suspects instead of narrowing them down.

A start, nonetheless, no matter how extensive. "…Who received the envelope?"

"She did. I was in my bedroom when she barged in. I didn't ask her about the sender, but perhaps she can tell you more about that."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "Then we'll wait for her." He let those words hung in the air until he noticed Akame was clutching her side, wincing slightly. A small smug smirk found its way to his lips. "First time getting hit?"

Akame raised her crimson eyes, managing a sheepish smile. "First time getting hit _that _hard." She admitted. "And that was before you utilized your suit, Master. Even as human, your strength is rather… fearsome. It's almost similar to her strength when she's using her powers."

That reminded him. "Ah right. Your partner here… Leone. Is she a beastkin?"

"_Half_-beastkin." Akame corrected. "I… I'm unsure if I can tell you more than that. It's private… but… should you insist…"

"Oh no need. You work for me now; the last thing I need is begrudging cooperation. That's just a sword in my back waiting to stab. I'll ask her myself."

Akame nodded, allowing a small smile. "…If it's… alright with you, would you mind if I ask some questions?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"What's it like, being the Dragon Emperor? The Sekiryuutei, no? That's what people call you."

"That and many other things." Issei dismissively said, waving off a hand. "They're just titles. The younger me was excited in collecting them, but now? Not so much. Not to mention ridiculous. 'Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth', 'The Strongest Crimson Dragon Emperor', 'The something Dragon of something'. It gets old. It gets old and tiring."

She blinked owlishly, not expecting that small tirade. "You don't find them appeasing?"

"I find them stupid. Petty honors I don't need. Probably never need." Not to mention that blockheaded virgin Lucifer who kept deeming him 'Eternal Rival'. Another stupid nickname to get pissed about. Good thing Issei 'died', because it was either him or he'd kill that Vanishing Dragon wielder just to clamp that goddamn mouth.

He wouldn't do it back then, but if that battle-hungry maniac appeared right in front of him, requesting yet another needless battle, Issei wouldn't hold back. His blood started to heat up just by remembering those two idiots, and fueled by Ddraig's thirst for rivalry, it quickly boiled his blood. He had gotten tired of them. He had gotten tired of all of the unnecessary provocations. That was why he quitted the supernatural world in the first place.

That was the only reason why he met her.

"So…" Akame muttered, bringing back from his inner grumpiness that lapsed to melancholy the moment his wife appeared in his mind. "What's it like?"

"Tiring." Issei said simply. "Because you're strong, people will start to expect you to do what they can't do. They don't care if you want to, they don't care if you have the motivation, they just want you to get rid of their troubles. Once you did, they'll shower you with praises, adds another one of those nicknames, worship you like a god, until they need you again. Which they always seem to do."

"…Is that why you faked your death?"

"Yes, Akame, that's exactly why. Because I don't want to deal with their shit." Issei replied, surprised at his own curtness. "…Look, I'm not usually this… this grumpy, alright. I'm just having a very bad day. I know that's no excuse to treat people like shit, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, and I was just mad. Not at you, but at them."

She thought she was going to be killed by this Dragon just half an hour ago. She never expected to receive an apology, especially after she tried to kill him and failing horribly.

"It's- it's alright, Master." Akame stuttered, astonished. "It's okay. I can understand how you're feeling."

"Well… guess we've all lost someone eh?" Sighing, Issei scratched his jaw, feeling its growing stubbles. He'd need a shave soon. "Thanks for listening. I haven't complained to anyone recently."

"…Happy to help." He might be short-tempered at the moment, but at least he had the decency to realize it and made an apology even, going further to thank her. Him, _the _Red Dragon Emperor. Thanking her, a mere assassin who had tried to take his head.

How could she list him as a bad person? If she had known him earlier, she would have never agreed to take that contract.

"So? What about you?" Issei restarted, "I've heard of assassins, I just never get to know them. Or do I need to first gain your trust or something. Buy you enough drink to spill your cold, bitter, dark past, perhaps?"

Akame chuckled quietly at seeing his teasing smirk. So a Dragon could make those kind of faces as well – the kind that Leone would do to a hapless bartender for a free drink. "It's nothing to brag about. I was orphaned at age 5. My parents were assassins, see… and assassins tend to… pile up grudges. Directly or indirectly. A group of assassins – friends of my parents - took me in shortly after. They trained me how to wield a sword and… some time later I met Leone and so here we are now."

"I see." Orphaned at the of 5. Raised and trained to be like her parents, seemingly enjoying it too. "Have you met your parents' killer or should I expect you to in the future?"

He'd rather not have another revenge plot waiting to mature. Desires for revenge could turn a sure-win battle to an unprecedented loss after all.

"I have. Around year ago." Akame picked up the hidden intent of his question. "Don't worry, I made sure I've ended the cycle right then. I spared not a soul."

"Good." That was one less thing to worry about. He didn't care if she had killed wives or children. As long as it ended right there and then. As long as there was no one pursuing her because of her payback, he wouldn't judge; because he'd do the exact same.

Akame eyed him curiously. "…I thought… I thought you were going to lecture me."

"What for? I'm no hero. They say whatever they want; the people, I mean. What kind of heroes kill without getting bothered? I'm not that different from you. The difference is that I get publicly praised."

"You seem to have a hard time as a Dragon."

"As the Red Dragon. Whatever." Issei adjusted. "I don't know. I thought I like helping people. Made me feel good. Made me feel useful. Now I just felt used no matter how I convinced myself that I wasn't. That I did it for the _good of people_. But then I get tired of the people. Well, _before _I died, but I doubt it has changed now. I'm just a greedy bitter man compared now."

His dry, self-derisive laugh dangled in the lukewarm air.

"Or you simply matured. Accepted that reality isn't always glitter and gold. That maybe you're simply… not the same person you were before. I mean no offense."

"None taken. You've got a point in that." Issei chuckled at her words. Life wasn't black and white, good or evil, but he was sure as hell he wasn't white and completely good. "Yeah. Actually, you're right. You're absolutely right. A 'hero', they call me, without caring what I did. What kind of a hero murders an entire family? What kind of a hero gets tired of helping people anyway? I even got sick from all the glitter and gold. Money doesn't mean anything once you don't really need them to live."

He didn't need a four-story mansion. A simple cottage in the middle of nowhere sufficed him. Only him and his dearly wife that kept his sanity in check. Both were gone now. No gods that could save those who took them away from him.

"…Fuck. That must be the first time I ranted since a long time. Didn't even know I can talk that much. Felt good, actually. Cathartic, kinda." Issei laughed a chesty laughter as he saw Akame's conflicted look. "It's alright. You don't have to say anything. Thanks for listening."

"I'm sorry, Master. All I can offer is to listen."

"Hey, don't be. Better to listen than talking just to talk." Said Issei with his casual lopsided smirk.

Akame duly nodded. She agreed fully on that matter. "…Although… is it alright to share your… personal thoughts with me? I'm only your-"

"Servant?" Issei completed, hijacking her conclusion. "No, no. 'Servant' is too crude of a word. What do you call the people who hired you?"

"Clients."

"Clients." Issei repeated, getting a sense of what the word meant if he used it to describe their relationship. "Too business-like. Makes it sound like we're out of touch unless it comes down to business…"

Akame tilted her head to one side. "Is that not what we are?"

Issei waved a hand. This was when Sirzechs' natural charisma that rubbed off him came in handy, but with his own personal twist; less rigid. Like that Nazi inspector from Tarantino's movie. He wasn't dealing with any snobbish aristocrats who wouldn't understand humility even if after reading it from a dictionary.

"No. Let's put it this way. You two are my group members that I won't bother naming because we're not ten. While that makes me the leader, I'm more of a de facto one. I will need you – _us, _to move to a common goal; find who wanted me dead.

"Now, I'm not a subject-matter expert in subterfuge or assassination – being stealthy and all that I'm sure you both specialized in doing. I can help you pinpoint where to start looking, who to keep an eye at in particular, and who to avoid. But I can't help you more than that.

"So. In order to ensure the effectivity of your missions' success… and not to mention doing my part- let me know what you need. Money, all sorts of distraction, a way out if things gone awry, or even simply an ear to listen to your thoughts and a mind to understand it. Whatever it is, you name it. You both are gonna have to stick around with me for a while, so why not try to be buddy-buddy instead of doing your part grudgingly, no?"

Akame pondered his words as she stared at him. Confidence practically oozed from those brown eyes, and something inside her instructed her to go against her professional skepticism of not trusting anyone she first met, but here she was, believing in him. It could be the effect of that strange black pill he gave her, yet Akame felt complied to trust him.

"You sure can talk, handsome, for a Dragon. Never met a dragon that likes to talk." Another voice interrupted her before she could talk, coming from down below. "But if you think I'm just gonna buy all that crap you better think twice."

"Leone? Since when are you awake?" Akame glanced down, surprised.

He had noticed her stirring awake since he talked about clients. Issei wasn't as surprised, or annoyed in that matter. Years of serving under Sirzechs had developed his control in when to hide and when to show his emotions. "Look. I get your suspicions. It's fine – I understand. I swear to you I won't bring any harm as long as you don't try to kill or sell me out. Something that applies for me to you as well."

"Well that's hardly reassuring… you'll just kill us." Leone muttered. "You want us to spy for you? Fine. But let us go after we're done with that."

"Oh?" Issei raised an eyebrow. "And keep it strictly business?"

"More or less, yeah."

Issei worked his logic briefly. A common strategy to get people do what you need is to offer them what they want. In this case; "Akame mentioned you were planning to settle down for a while."

Leone narrowed her eyes, growing indignant. "What about it. Doing the same shit over and over again gets boring, what a surprise. You gonna wreck our home or somethin'?"

"God no." Issei made a distraught face, and a compelling one at that. He wouldn't do that. Not to them, at least. "On the contrary, really. You help me, and I'll assure you, nobody will want to mess with you. Not the devils, not vampires, not even gods, even if it's Hades himself."

"That's some confidence. You saying you've killed a god before? I've never heard of it."

"Not exactly _killed_. Only gods can kill gods. Not to say that other no-gods can't kill them, they just have to feel superior in all kinds of way even in murdering their own kinds. But what kind of god wants their reputation besmirched? No. We make no mention of their defeat, and they just… go along and do whatever their godly business is, and stop messing with us 'mortals'. They seem to always like to point that out. It's like an obsession."

Leone froze at this point. "…So you're telling me someone sent us to kill someone who could beat a god."

"More or less, yeah." Issei repeated her exact words, using her exact dismissive tone, notes to notes. Until another realization dawned on him, and froze him in place.

Akame broadened her crimson eyes. "…If so… then doesn't this means whoever hired us, sent us to die?"

"Fucking shit." Leone growled, rolling her head off Akame's soft thighs as she sat up. "I'm beating the shit outta this fucker – no questions asked."

Inwardly, Issei cursed. He didn't consider this before. What if they weren't sent to kill him, but instead for him to kill them? His wife's murder could be unrelated should it be the case.

If so, then that would mean a significant leap backwards. But at least, even if they weren't sent to die, whoever sent these assassins knew of knew where he lived. They _knew _him, when he was believed to be dead. Only a select few knew of his existence in that cabin of his. But they were people that he would trust his life with. Close friends he hated having to leave in order to pursue his peaceful life.

Unrelated or not, this was still someone worth investigating. That was his only clue so far. The only grip he had so far.

"Alright. You have a deal, Dragon-kun." Leone grinned. "If this means I get to pummel down these backstabbing sons of bitches, count me in."

"Good." Issei shrugged away those thoughts for later. Opening his hand, he recreated the same black pill that he used to amplify Akame's trust. Leone scrunched her brows as she scrutinized the weird, black tablet as if it was some kind of twisted version of amphetamines.

"The hell is that."

"A tracker that only I can use. And yes, I can get rid of its effects after it's over. Akame's taken one herself and she's still the same."

Leone shifted towards her co-worker. "That true?! You don't feel anything strange, aren't you?"

"…I feel lighter, to be honest." Akame said with her standard deadpanned stare. "Other than that, I don't feel much of a change."

"Wait a minute…" Leon paused as she stared at Akame's arms and legs, which caused the girl to shift uneasily. "Where're your bruises?"

"Hm? Oh- you're right?" Akame pressed a hand to her belly where Issei had struck her earlier. She only felt her abdominal muscles instead of a tinge of pain. She even gone so far and pulled up her black shirt to see. "…I… I'm healed?"

"And toned." Both Issei and Leone quipped in the same moment, grinning with each other afterwards.

"Alright big boy, there's no way that pill is just a GPS tracker. If you want our collaboration, you better spill the truth."

Issei leaned back, raising his hands as he made the black pill vanish. "Alright, alright. So it's not just a tracker, but a steroid as well. Kind of. Minus the drawbacks of course." Before Leone could complain him for drugging Akame, Issei continued. "Ever heard of Evil Pieces? Those glassy chess pieces devils use? Well, this is like that, essentially, but for dragons."

Leone kept her earlier suspicion. "Don't tell me you haven't used this before you used it on her."

"I did." Issei's confident smirk waned as he sighed. "It doubles your strength as much as you can handle. Doesn't help much if you're a normal human being though. Zero to the power of however many numbers is still… zero."

Akame quickly understood his meaning, and felt she had to change the topics. "How does it differ to an Evil Pieces? I'm aware that a devil can have fifteen of them. Angels have their cards – Brave Saints if I'm not mistaken. Thirteen in number not counting a potential Joker. What's your limitation?"

"No idea. I've never used it more than once. But let's say the more I make, the less I can give." Issei said in a simple manner, before elaborating. "Before I go into details, you know what Boosted Gear does, right?"

Both nodded. "Great. That saves time. Like the Evil Pieces, my pill gives you strength. But unlike the Evil Pieces, it only increases your strength as a whole instead of at specific attributes only. Basically a Queen piece or an Ace - I don't know if it's as potent or not, if it's up to me or the one who consumed the pill, your guess is as good as mine.

"More to that, usually, I can channel these 'boosts' to my allies – people I fight alongside with as long as they're in range. 'Transfer', that's the name." So he didn't have to fight and actually try, but he left this part out. "That pill you saw eliminates that range. It kinda… 'connects' our soul together if you wanna put it that way. So far, I can only do a Transfer when I want to though. Maybe send me a text message if you need one. Ajuka hypothesized that the power transfer will divide itself equally if I send it to multiple users, which is probably right. Dude's a genius."

Leone exchanged owlish glances with Akame. "So- what is she now? Is she a human or some sort of a reincarnated dragon?"

"She's a human still. Don't be silly. Dragons can't reincarnate. They're dragons, not phoenixes." Issei sniggered, "Just say she's a human with a dragon's blessings. How about that? You don't call any human blessed by a god a god, do you?"

"Huh. Fair point." Leone admitted. "But God's dead anyway so maybe not really."

Issei sniffed as he smirked. These assassins sure knew where and how to eavesdrop. Crafty professionals. "Yeah, well… there's more than one god."

"Heh… yea, tell that to the atheists."

"I'm not so religious myself." Issei muttered as he recreated the same black tablet. "But I digress. Is this a yes or a no?"

"Sure, sure… I'll take your damned drug." Leone certainly didn't mind being stronger. Though the idea of being tracked around wouldn't get out of her system soon enough.

That said, Issei realized that having his 'pieces' referred as narcotics was rather… debasing. "Dragon's Oath."

"What?"

"The pill. It's called Dragon's Oath."

"That so?" Leone shrugged as she idly took the pill, drinking it down with a glass of water Akame carried earlier. "Sure looks like a drug."

Issei secretly wished he didn't give Ajuka the idea of making the 'contract' simpler, which was turning the Agreas crystals that was infused with his dragonic power into a bunch of pills that were easy to swallow, instead of having the same process with the devils and their Evil Pieces.

But regrets always come later, as he had learned.

He clapped his hands as he got up. "Good. Since you two have been gone through a rough day, I suggest getting some rest. I've had few names in my head, but they can wait." Better ensure these Dragonsworns adapt to their new powers too – whatever they might be. Issei couldn't tell himself since his wife felt nothing changed.

Both Akame and Leone were blankly staring the brawler's well-toned stomach, waiting for the its bruises to disappear. They had been bruised before, but they had never seen their bruises healing. They were quite curious, so to speak.

But noticing he was leaving somewhere, Akame raised her head. "Where are you going, Master?"

"…Master?" Leone repeated the word, before giving Issei an odd look. "…Sorry, what?"

"Ah… right." Issei swiveled on his foot. "I'm supposed to be dead, alright? Saying my name out in the open is taboo. And before you assume anything, she's the one who suggested calling me master."

Leone peered to Akame, still having her same, judging stare. "…Seriously?"

The black-haired assassin blushed. "…Wh…what…? I only thought it was appropriate."

The blonde brawler let out a compressed laugh mixed with a snort. A snrk. "Pfsht- sure. Whatever you say, you Apprentice you."

"Leone… stop it."

"Fufu~ look at you. All red just from a small tease." Leone snickered. "Hey, hey, what do I call you with then if your name is illegal? Don't expect me to call you Master or 'm'lord' you every time you walk in on a room. I'm not your toady or your friend. Well. Not yet at least."

"Not yet? But you're considering it aren't you, Leone?" Issei sniggered, the quiet kind of laugh you do when something was mildly funny or interestingly funny.

"I'll _seriously _consider it after you buy me a couple of drinks."

"Until what? Until you're drunk enough to make me fuckable?"

"Oh I won't be needing any drink for that. Don't you play coy with me with your false modesty. I've met people like you… you and your nice guy acts when you're just a bad boy underneath."

"Yeah? Do I look like a bad boy to you? What part of me look like one." Issei leaned by the side of an arch that separated the living room and the hallway, crossing his arms, inadvertently stretching the arms of his red shirt, causing Leone to smirk and leer.

Biting her lower lip, Leone replied. "I'd start with your arms, maybe."

"This exchange is highly unnerving." Akame dryly commented – which caused the two to burst into short chuckles. "You haven't replied; where are you heading to, Mas—Hyoudou-san?"

"She wants to call you 'Master' on her own. How cute." Leone tittered, earning a glare.

"Gonna see my parents." Issei said with a flat tone, which quickly erased the jovial atmosphere. "I wanna be sappy for a bit. And oh, before I go, do you feel anyone when you received the letter?"

Leone raised her sleek brows. "Letter? Ah you mean that letter? No. Not really. I was probably showering when it came by the front door. You don't focus much when you shower eh? Didn't try to sense anyone or anything so I can't tell if it's a human or not either. Sorry~"

"Well that's… sucked, but what else can you do. Anyway, I'll be in touch. See you girls later."

"Mhmm. You sure you don't want company?"

"What? And let you see me cry ugly tears? Yeah, no."

"What's wrong with tears? I think men who cries are manly."

"Uh huh. Sure." Issei muttered dismissively as he sauntered the hallway. It really was unrelated to manly or not. He just wanted to be alone and be depressed for a bit.

Leone quietly stared as he made his way to the front door, admiring his broad shoulders while imagining him getting undressed. "He's pretty sentimental, isn't he?"

"He… has his reasons." Akame said vaguely. She wanted people to respect her privacies, which was why she respected people's in the first place. If only Leone could do that. "…I'm gonna sleep. I'm tired."

"…Same, now that you mentioned it."

And the two would have made their way to their own bedrooms – Akame's was upstairs while Leone had the master bedroom to comply her needs for some companionship through the night, but they stopped once they felt the unmistakable feeling. A sudden shift in the invincible seams of magic; an arrival that was inhuman. Unnatural.

A devil.

The assassins spared a knowing glance with each other, before readying up for a fight. Akame seamlessly grabbed her sheathed sword resting by the couch, while Leone instantly transformed onto her King of Beast form as flames covered her arms and hair, covering them in claws and longer mane respectively.

The two rushed to the hallway. Dragon or not, they would never let themselves rely on his help.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

They froze when their eyes met. His warm hazels and her icy silvers, the only difference being his weren't as warm and hers no longer as cold. Exchanging no words staring at each other. She could see right through him. Five years she had known him, and she could tell when he was hiding something under that carefree expression of his.

A small nod. "Grayfia. Fancy meeting you here. Been a year eh? Care for some tea?"

"I've heard." She whispered. "I didn't imagine you'd return to this city, however. I felt your presence."

Issei sniffed, scratching his hair. "Eh well… I've gotten a bit rusty."

"It's alright, Ise."

"Of course it's alright. I'll get you some tea- though, I don't think they're the type to drink teas. Hey, speaking of which, I met these two girls just now. You wanna meet them?"

She took a step inside, and closed the door behind her silently, paying no heed to the two assassins who had taken a defensive stance, their cautious eyes pointed at her.

"It's alright."

"What're you talking about?" He sniggered. "I'm doing fine. Just remembering stuff. Hey do you remember that time she thought salt as sugar? That cake was the saltiest cake I've ever had the chance of eating. That was kinda funny wasn't it? The silly girl."

"It's not your fault, Ise."

"I buried her on her favorite place. I think she'd like that. You remember that lake you used to make fun of because it had no fishes? Hah. You were looking forward for fishing too."

"It's alright. You don't have to hold yourself back. It's me."

"Yea I- I know that." He choked. His smile cracked. "I'm not… I don't know. I should've _been there_ you know? I could've— I could've prevented this. You know I- this… If I just-"

"It's alright, Ise. You don't need to say anything."

That carefree wall crumbled as Issei felt the earth just collapsed beneath him, black claws dragging him to a bottomless abyss, tearing his chest open. His face softened, his smile wavered and loosened, crumpling to a stubborn frown as fond memories flooded over him.

Grayfia herself loosened her expression, melting to one of sympathy as she watched the Dragon fell apart.

"She's gone isn't she."

Those were the last words to fall from his lips, as Issei hung his head low, and he stood there, stiffly staring the tiles as his silent tears fell.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And a Dragon crashes hard.

Issei broke down. The indomitable, perpetually flippant, openly-perverted, and once joyful Sekiryuutei, broke down as a heartbroken man, as the numbing truth, the full realization of the true loss of his wife hit him, ripping him to pieces.

Grayfia hurried over and tucked his head under her neck, lending him a shoulder to lean on as Issei wailed. Cruel, frantic sobbing wracked his body as he took in deep stuttering breaths, unable to keep hold of his raw emotions, succumbing to the yawning sorrow as he cried into her chest.

She felt her maid dress dampened as it soaked the Dragon's tears, while her own had left a salty track on her cheeks. She hugged him tight, as tight as she could, as if by holding him she could lessen the pain he felt. It didn't, but Grayfia tried doing what she could think of to help.

Both Akame and Leone watched in silence. Akame lowered he head as she relived the day when she lost her parents; the only people she had loved, unexpecting the sudden sentimentality growing in her chest. Leone herself quietly observed, saying nothing, feeling nothing but an immense pounding of guilt wracking her head after those words she had carelessly said to him.

But he didn't show his frustration at her. He had all the right to hit her or even kill her, and he could do so. But he didn't. He went along with her silly games despite he was hurting. The Dragon concealed his emotions from strangers, and now she had hoped she wasn't a stranger to him in the first place, because she wished she could take back those words.

Hyodou Issei's shattered wails resonated through the house, yet another harsh reminder that even a Dragon could be broken.

* * *

**_To be continued_**

* * *

**Well, the mood took a plunge**

**This is probably the last very sappy chapter for a while. Remember that this hasn't been a day since the dude's wife died.**

**It's easy to write a grumpy, one-liner, 'I am too edgy for conversations', 'I am smart but I keep my mouth shut because people are simply too stupid', or emotionally deranged kind of ultra-dark MC that just shut off their emotions like a feckin light switch. But that's just not my style. Not to mention writing an MC like that will make me puke.**

**No. That's uninspired. I want him to have more personalities than your everyday betrayal-stories MC.**

**Also, look. My _dudes_, when I ask for suggestions, I don't mean they strictly have to be assassins. I used Leone and Akame because I needed some assassin-ish people to spy around for Issei – since he can't exactly spy around. Super duper strong dragon, remember? Decent-powered people will notice him like a smoke from a burning house.**

**I'm asking for girls to add because let's be real here. As Mo Eazy has put it himself "This is still DxD. We all know the score."**

**Just make sure the girls and whatever their powers can fit into DxD because I won't bother changing the lore that much. Also, this doesn't mean I _will _add more characters from other fandom either, because I want to keep it DxD. There's also tons of girls in DxD (that can't fit into a 'spy' role, hence Leone and Akame). We cool? We cool.**

**aightbyethxreviewpls **


	4. Moving Forward, Eyes Dead Set

**Read the original script for John Wick several times while writing this chapter. It's a bit different than the movie and the differences are pretty glaring. It explains Wick's previous 'professions' for one, and the dude talks a lot more. I won't tell because I think the movie's done it better by hiding his identity and giving him less lines**

**Praise be good directors **

**And the immortal Keanu Reeves**

**Nuff said, enjoy, folks**

* * *

**Rending Ruins**

* * *

**Chapter III**

**||Moving Forward, Eyes Dead Set||**

* * *

There came a time where all we wanted was a little moment of solitude. The little break from all the currents of the world; a moment of complete stillness and noiseless. A downtime. A moment to relax and let everything cleared itself like a fresh whiteboard, free from stains, before we start filling it up with scribbles on how to tackle a certain problem in our life.

But it was a challenge for Issei to let himself 'slow down'. He always had a complex of busyness in his system. Busy getting the girls to like him. Busy getting the girls off him when they 'liked' him a bit too much. Busy smashing the head of impertinent devil to the edge of a very expensive end table who didn't know better than to swindle a bit of money just because he thought Sirzechs wouldn't notice. Busy worrying about some up-jumped selfish pricks who deemed themselves as the 'villains of the world' with all of their supremely shortsighted plan. Busy stopping them from actually succeeding those plans.

Busy thinking about her.

When she was there, when she was gone.

Always her.

Only her.

This time was no different. Crouching on top of the roof, he stared into the white world under the blazing sun, unblinking. Cold winter wind breezed through him, lifting his messy brown hair off the nape of his neck for a brief moment. His stare was empty like an abandoned tunnel, but his mind was sharp and clear. Focused and ready.

He broke down, yes, but Issei had never been one to stay down forever. Never was, never will. The pain was fresh but his resolve only scorched brighter. Falling was easy, but there was only one way up.

When you had ups and downs, you eventually learned how to 'trick' yourself into thinking that 'downs' were simply 'ups' waiting to happen. As long as his wife's murderer remained at large, nothing in or out of this world could bring him down. On the contrary, actually, he'd tear them down if needed be. He would go through hell just for her. She was his everything.

And when a man lost everything, nothing he wouldn't do. A Dragon much worse.

After a deep breath, he swiftly scaled down the roof, the balcony, one foot after another and one grip after another, as he descended his way to the back entrance.

Everyone needed breaks to continue on living. He just had his.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

Awkward silences were never her favorite, but Akame did like silences, good or bad, so she didn't really mind the still air. The living room was as quiet as it was outside with its howling wind. Her new 'Master' had been out for his own appropriate time, but way more than she expected.

The silence finally got to Leone, who stretched her arms and let out a yawn while her yellow eyes observed the unmoving silver maid.

"SO~" she started, her tone chipper as per usual. "What's between you and him eh?"

"What's it to you?" Grayfia remained reserved. Stiff. Hard to imagine she could shed a tear if she hadn't earlier.

"Ehhh, don't be so cold. It's cold enough already outside." Funny, coming from someone who wore practically nothing to cover her stomach, arms, neck, thighs, and legs. "You two some an old flame or sumthin'?"

Grayfia rested her silver eyes, and let off a sigh.

Akame simply watched as she wanted to see how long the maid could last under Leone's constant pummeling.

"Hmm? I didn't hear a 'no'~ Is that right? Come on. No need to be shy. Spill me the beans; promise I won't talk unless I get heavily bribed."

"I find it hard to imagine him working with someone like you."

"Ouch." Leone feigned her pain. Akame knew tiny insults like that wouldn't get through her thick skin. The cold didn't either, thanks to the beast within her – or just her own, really. "Well the guy defines it as 'working together' but I've got a feeling I'm just gonna work 'for' him, honestly. BUT! I won't get into technicality cuz' I don't care as long as I get paid. _You_, though, cared. So what's in it with you and him hm? Hm? Were you two a thing before, y'know. He jumped to another ship?"

The devil glared at her, her eyes practically colder than winter, yet burn hotter than the summer.

"Oooh- hit a nerve did I?" Leone winced, smirking still. "But wow. What kind of girl that he'd pick over the Frosty Ice Queen? What's she like? Pretty? Cute? Prettier than thou? Cuter than me?"

"That's not for me to say."

Born a beastmen, and coupled with her naturally stubborn determination, rejection was not something she accepted easily. "Oh come onnn! He'll _never_ tell me that! Let me in on this juicy secret of yours."

"And you think I will?"

The pugilist shrugged. "Won't hurt to ask."

It took all her resolve to keep Grayfia from annihilating this blonde whelp from existence, showing nothing but a composed face and at most a strained neutral smile. If not for the fact that this assassin would be working under him, she'd probably have.

"Leone, I think you've teased her enough." Akame stepped in before things turned ugly. They were still recovering and she'd rather not put her life in danger over her friend tongue-in-cheek figure of speech.

"Aw, but you know me Akamecchi; enough's never enough."

The unlikely trio froze at the sound of a clicking door, but relaxed as they realized it was likely to be him. Shortly after, Issei emerged from the hallway.

Grayfia almost immediately stood up. Genuine concern replacing her stoic façade. Seeing her upturned red lips caused him to smirk. Still the same woman he knew a year ago; ice cold on the surface yet mellow in the core.

"And speak of the devil." Leone tittered, waving a two-fingers salute. "We were just talking about you. How's ya feeling big guy?"

"Sufficiently adequate." Issei replied without putting much thought, though it wasn't really a lie.

"Big words for a big guy."

"My 'big words' vocab is far smaller than you'd think." He said, settling to just lay his shoulder against the wall instead of joining the hot seats while Leone giggled in childish mirth, probably thinking about some immature 'mature' jokes that involved measurements and dicks. "Why don't you two get some rest."

He wanted to talk with the icy maid. That was blatant enough. Still, one last shot. "Ehh… shooing me at my own house eh?"

Issei paused. "…Fair point. Let's get out of here then."

"Wha- NoooO! Gossip here! Promise I won't listen!" and then Leone added with a very tiny voice that Akame had often heard whenever she played the gadfly. "…too much."

There were four people in this room but it appeared one of the 'adults' simply looked like an adult while the teenage one had been clearly forced to be the mature one in their partnership.

But Issei wasn't going to shine light on it. Not now, anyway. "Just play nice for me, will you. Don't snoop around, this is private."

"Aight, aight. Fine, fine. Sheesh, you're even talking to me like I'm a child or something." Leone booed.

"Growing old doesn't always ensure maturity, as it appears so."

"Ohoo- the silent professional actually has a sharp tongue when allowed to taste some freedom of speech eh? Surprise, surprise."

He smirked. Leone impressed Issei as she successfully made the Stoic Ice Queen Grayfia rolling her eyes, openly annoyed.

But that was enough talk. Like unzipping a dress, Issei tore the fabric of reality itself; opening a black slit at the air in front of him, revealing an enormous space inside it.

Naturally, the assassins freaked out in their own unique manner. Akame was surprised at first, confused at why there was a black entryway inside her newly purchased home.

Leone was more eloquent with her surprise; "WHOA- THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

"It's my safe space." Issei replied bluntly, taking the maid's hand as he entered the black void. "It's the Void. We won't be long. See ya."

As the two entered, the black dimensional gash shut itself like a wound closing. Unnerved, both Akame and Leone waved their hand at where said door was hovering in the air, feeling nothing but air, and a sudden reminder that this guy was really, really someone they shouldn't have fucked with from the start.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

In the empty dimension known as the Void; where nothing less impressive than a Dragon could live in, the perfect spot to talk undisturbed, and stars and galaxies decorated the giant room like lamps, except more stellar and downright magnificent, giving a rather romantic scenery despite its inhospitable nature.

A neat trick he begged a certain Dragon of 'Infinity' to teach him so he could have uninterrupted sweet lovin' with his haremettes, or when he wanted to be cheesy and clingy without someone saying a nearby settlement needed his help.

At least, until he tied the knot.

The fact that this was the only place in the known dimensions where the Dragon could be openly intimate and affectionate was something Grayfia knew all too well, and despite his trouble, she couldn't help but trace back to a time when they would spend some alone time here. Where she could be freer with her emotions she had to bury deep down.

Inside the protected space where the Void couldn't rip her apart, Issei lied back against the invisible wall, crossing his hands, adopting his usual posture.

"What a coincidence eh? You happening to be in my hometown right when I visited it."

That was a light tease, Grayfia realized. "I suppose you haven't heard. Kuoh is under Rias' supervision now."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The young spoiled miss finally get her own city to play with? Good for her."

Grayfia shook her head. "You don't need to belittle her. She's doing well, all things considered."

"Is she? So why are you there, babysitting her?"

Nothing seemed to go past him, she rued. "A small betrothal problem. Something she's expressed to be 'vehemently against'."

Issei snorted. Devils and their whole politically arranged marriage. A good reason for him to leave that forsaken world. He'd never pawn of his children for some favors.

But having kids was the last thing in his mind.

"So who's the lucky bloke? Belial? Can't be a Bael, can it. Not really sure about how you deal with the whole incest-thing, but Sai is Rias' distant cousin eh?"

"Lord Bael would never allow another of his kin to tie a knot with the Gremory." Grayfia said, somewhat bitterly. "It's Riser Phenex. You know how he is, Issei."

"Hah! That playboy?" He laughed, widely smiling. "He's a decent guy. All Phenexes are. A bit arrogant but, hey. He's hardly the worst from your people. Besides, people change."

"People change. Devils don't. They remain stubborn to their belief." Grayfia replied swiftly, shifting among the void to close their distance.

Issei snorted. "Yeah, you tell yourself that. First time we met, you'd gave me frostbite just looking at you. Icy and cold and focused on your devily-dooty to a fault." As Grayfia approached him, he beckoned her with an opened hand. "But deep down inside, you're all warm and cuddly. You're like a Russian Siberian Bear."

"That's some comparison you gave me."

He sniggered. "What's wrong with it? You are pretty deadly and cold."

She let out a defeated sigh as she lied at him, resting her face against his hard yet soft chest. She felt the rings he wore as a necklace, and felt a little bit guilty that she couldn't control herself better.

"I've missed you." She didn't bother to hide it. In truth she had longed for this day to arrive once again. "…I wish we could've met under better… circumstances."

Issei squeezed her shoulder, squeezing her against him. "Me you both."

The two stayed together in their mutual embrace, content at the silence, as Issei slowly slid down the transparent wall, and sat on the transparent floor. Grayfia clung onto him the whole process, almost getting teary due to how long it had been.

"A year without you was the longest year I had gone through."

That elicited a smirk from his rugged face. "Oh you silver-tongued devil you-"

She glanced up at him, staring at him at the upper edge of her eyes, her pearly cheeks dashed with light red, granting her the ever-so-devastating puppy eyes. "Tell me if I'm wrong to say that."

"Well, no. I'm a guy. Normally we're the cheesy ones. Of course we like it when a pretty girl flirts with us. It strokes our ego in the right way."

Grayfia huffed, giggling softly. Smiling softly. "You're a strange man to bluntly admit something like that."

"You loved this strange man. Which one of us is stranger?"

"Love." The Defrosted Ice Queen corrected, brushing her fingertips against his jaw, feeling its growing stubbles. "Present tense."

She studied his expression. Conflicted. Silent. Which was understandable and expected. Normally, he would have smirked with a smug arrogant air. Another something silly she never thought would prefer on seeing. Anything was better than this.

"Yeah. Present tense." Issei muttered, agreeing. She was gone but he loved her the same. "You know, I honestly didn't expect something like this ever happening. Strange isn't it? I lived in a world where a life doesn't mean shit unless you're strong. But the idea that the same thing can happen to me was beyond me. Not to me. I thought being the Satan's Enforcer would make me immune to things like losing my loved ones."

Her red lips fell to a bitter frown. She clutched his hand as she listened.

"It's only when I met her it finally hit me. Hell, maybe I shouldn't have fallen in love with a bloody human, but hey… you know how it is."

It was nigh impossible to control who you fell in love with. A lesson this once Foolish Dragon had taught her.

"I don't mean anything against you or anyone else, or comparing you to her but… Yeah…" Issei whispered, unsure if he could go on, but knew enough that he needed this to force himself. "She uh… she made me feel human, I suppose."

Something Grayfia and the rest of his former girls failed to realize; that there was something else beside their body that this man wanted most. When everyone around treated him like some kind of controlled monster, Issei just wanted to be seen and treated as no different than any normal human beings would; as a person.

"I tried to be very careful. Tried to plan for everything for her. For two years I've been careful. Got out of that damned world just for her. She was such a good girl. Sometimes awkward but, she's a good girl. I guess being untouched for a whole year made me lower my guard, and then she—" He paused, swallowing the pain. "Shouldn't have blinked."

A beat.

"Not once. Not ever."

He tightened his grip on her hand, almost like he was afraid she would leave too. He choked on a sob, scratched his eyes to swab the tears he couldn't blink to get rid of, and cleared his throat. He decided it was enough tears for a day.

Grayfia did the same, sucking air to her lungs, exhaling as she wiped her own tears. Something inside her once wondered if she could have taken her place; as the wife of the Dragon, but she admitted she couldn't.

History would repeat itself apparently. She couldn't fill her shoes when she was alive. Now she couldn't fill the hole she had left.

Issei coughed then, causing her to flinch. "Anyway, thanks for listening."

"Thank you for telling me." Grayfia replied, offering a smile he responded feebly. "…Then… what do you plan to do…?"

"Tell you the truth, I don't know. It's obvious I'm going to find whoever did it. Break their world. Every single bit of it. Their grandchildren be damned. But after all that?"

And that reply singlehandedly reminded her to the beast she was talking to. Every leader needed a mad dog at his side. Somebody who couldn't be predicted- somebody who could be deathly mad in the head. He was Sirzechs' Beast, only difference was, he was now a Loose Beast.

It terrified her that he spoke with conviction. As though he knew his words would be right, that his words were a promise of an action he was bound to commit.

"I thought I was a monster. And I was fine with being that, until she turned me back. Now what am I supposed to be now that she's gone? When you find that one person who connects you to the world, you become someone different. Someone better. When that person's taken from you, what do you become then?"

"…I wonder the same too." Grayfia concealed her own share of pain, sitting up beside him, no longer laid against him. He was that someone for her, even if she wasn't his. "So then… how do you plan to find them? Do you need to hire those assassins?"

He chuckled. "Heh- you don't like the blonde one much, do you."

"She reminds me too much of her." Grayfia skulked, pouting a cute tiny pout that she would never let anyone other than him to see.

"Who, Kuroka?" Issei's chuckle grew louder. "…Yeah… I doubt she'd play nice with a lion. She'd probably say lions are just big cats."

"Which they technically are." Grayfia added. "I've seen her working for a noble a few times, but I can't seem to see what she has with her."

"You didn't know either huh? Ddraig had no idea either." Issei raised his brows. "I thought she had Nemean Lion, but pretty sure that's Regulus. Unless he died somehow."

"He's fine. Him and Sairaorg has developed a strong bond. It's a shame Lord Bael refuse to accept him as his own."

"Not surprised. Your old Devils are like the boomers of my world. Blaming their kids for everything while refusing to accept reality." Issei surmised as Grayfia rested her face on his shoulder.

And he rested his on top of her silver crown in exchange – right after he snatched away her maid headdress.

"Hey."

"It tickles." He reasoned. "It's not like I won't give it back to you or anything."

"You are such a child." She groaned in response.

"You're going to miss that child." Issei joked. "Back to the Lioness- I'm bad at mythologies. What do you think she is? You think she has Aslan?"

Grayfia disregarded his blatant joke. "…Perhaps the Egyptian one?"

"I thought they only worship cats. Anubis is a dog though…"

"A jackal." She corrected. "Azazel mentioned an Egyptian lion-headed God of War, if I remember correctly. I don't know if there's a Sacred Gear containing its soul, however."

"Heh. Sacred Gears used to be so rare, now everyone has it. God is like Oprah." Issei balked.

"You haven't answered my question." Grayfia reeled back, realizing it was about time for her to return to her duties. "What need do you have for those assassins? You alone are enough, I'd imagine."

"Eh, well." As she got up, Issei did too. "I'm not good at the sneaky stuff. Sirzechs send me to destroy a palace, not skitter inside it."

"Fair point." Though it wasn't exactly a palace he destroyed, but a third of the Underworld as he annihilated Qlippoth and then Hades for letting Samael cripple Ophis, ensuring a degree of order the Satans could maintain.

Sometimes she felt strange to be able to talk someone who could and have brought cataclysm if he so much wanted to. She almost pitied whoever thought it was a good idea to murder his wife, for whatever reason it was.

"Will you be alright?"

"'Course I will." Issei snorted, almost sounding offended. "Gotta have to if I want to get that sweet, sweet revenge." He playfully flailed his clenched fist, pretending he was an angsty teenager. It got a titter out of her. "Will you?"

Her silver-grey hair flounced as she tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you seem to still have an attachment to yours truly… maybe I was concerned if I'll have to prepare myself in the future. I did swear to never hurt you."

Grayfia smiled. "You hurt all of us once you chose her, Issei."

"Ay—yeah. Touché." He awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"It's fine." Grayfia assured, splaying her hands as she embraced him one last time. He returned in kind. "You don't need to force yourself for any of us. Let it heal. I promise I will wait for you, as I have had all this time."

Issei sighed, hugging her tight. Smelling her sweet fragrance. "Really now, I don't deserve any of you."

"You changed us when no one could." She giggled, smiling softly with both her red lips and silver eyes. "Of course you do. There's no other like you."

His grin started to form. "Gee, stop. You're gonna make me blush."

Grayfia looked up at him. Years ago he was barely her height. Now he had grown a complete head from her. Once skinny and frail, now armed and tough. Once innocent and naïve, now he wouldn't even think twice about killing.

He had become quite the monster under Sirzechs' guidance. Letting him go was perhaps the hardest thing Sirzechs had ever done.

She smiled fondly. "It's hard to imagine the perverted boy would grow up to a man such as you are."

He stared at her lips. So lush and red. She was nibbling a little bit of her bottom lip, a subtle invitation he had learned to understand, but one he couldn't accept this time.

"Normally, this is the time where I'd kiss you." He paused for a moment. "Wow. Don't I sound like a conceited arsehole. I sound like every billionaire in those romance novels."

"I didn't know you read novels."

"Nah. Well… She did." Issei's smile broke a little.

Grayfia giggled, breaking away from him. "It's alright."

"Really. I do. But… It doesn't feel right…"

"It's okay, Ise. I understand."

"No. I need to be clear with you. It's only right." He stared at her dead in her eyes with a fervor that nearly set her heart ablaze. "I want to kiss you, but I can't when I can only think of her. I don't want to lie to you."

Hearing his reason, Grayfia's smile melted. "I know. That's why you're a dear to me still, despite everything. I hope you can look back at the time you spent together with a smile soon, Ise. It's hard, but I'd say you'll manage."

Her words caused him to pause. "Wow, I—" Issei couldn't believe it. Back then it was him who had to melt her heart, and now the roles had been reversed. "Well uh. How the turntables indeed. Thanks. I uh… thanks."

"As you would say… 'don't mention it.'" Grayfia smiled. "So what exactly will you have them do?" She asked again, ending his stupor. "Sirzechs is using all his resources to find them as well. What makes you think they'll fare better than his spies?"

"Well… Other than the fact that his spies had never once caught them snooping around his own office?" Issei gave her a smirk as he ripped open another dimensional rift that would bring them back to where they were before; at his old house's living room, where his two assassins were found lazing on the couch, seemingly waiting for him despite his order.

"Because they're my spies now, Grayfia. Going along with history, anyone with Dragon steroids are generally better than those who are without."

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

Akame sat up straight and welcomed him while Leone kept snoring silently on the couch. The maid left not long after the two returned in their house.

"Right," Issei said, staring out at the door, then at Akame's crimson eyes. "I think I know who I want you to snoop around first. Not today, of course. You two have some rest for tomorrow."

"Yes?" Akame looked almost excited, despite her duller demeanor compared to her partner. Then again, Leone was pretty hyper.

"Ever heard of Rias Gremory?"

* * *

**_To be continued_**

* * *

**Alternate chapter title: Dragon Steroids**

**Fianceé helped me write Grayfia's exchange and she came out fokin adorable. Change my mind**

**Aight cya bois in maybe a couple weeks. Keep healthy and wash your feckin hands. Follow and Favorites and Reviews are a must to keep my motivation and spirits high, don't let ya boy the unpaid writer down**


	5. Setting the Stage

**For those who are a bit confused with the weird timeline for whatever reason; Issei's the only cast who's older than their canon standard. The current arc is pre-Riser's arc - as Grayfia had told him in the last chapter**

**Think of it like DxD but with Issei born 4-6 years earlier and doesn't have to deal with teenager angst issues**

**If you're wondering about Irina: yes. I do have plan for her. Big plan. Very big plan. It's a plan before plans were plans. Biggest plan you'll ever see, and I'm going to make you pay for it. **

* * *

**Rending Ruins**

* * *

**Chapter V**

**||Setting the Stage||**

* * *

The Red Dragon Emperor awoke as he always did; flat on his back, on the right side of the queen-sized bed, chest-naked, his blankets sprawled due to his sleeping habit of throwing away the blanket when the night winds weren't cold enough, and opening his eyelids without a semblance of effort. Not because Issei was considered a morning person, but because years of self-discipline and having to stay aware in case there was any misguided fools who believed slitting his throat during his slumber was a bright idea.

An abnormal habit, but his abnormal occupation birthed said habit.

He smiled, chuckling softly as he was aware how silly it was for a normal human, but a normalcy for him.

As usual, as he had always done in every morning, Issei rolled his body to his left, throwing his right arm, expecting to find a bundle of warmth.

Once his hand was met with a dull emptiness and the smooth fabric of the bed, he remembered.

His smile faltered.

"…Oh. Right."

Five days, and still he did the same thing every morning. Even though he had forced it in his head before he went to sleep that he wasn't going to find her sleeping next to him, secretly hoping to be proven wrong, he did it again. It was like his brain refused to accept the bitter reality and simply reset itself every morning, forcing him to go through the same torture again.

He understood it would be hard. This wasn't like a trouble where he could pinpoint the exact time it would stop being a trouble; when Sirzechs decided undertaking a pragmatic action would ensure the longevity and stability in the Realm of the Underworld. Khaos Brigade stopped being a trouble when Satan Lucifer sent his Enforcer to erase the threat. Hades stopped plotting a trouble when Satan Lucifer sent his Enforcer to take a few rumored strongest Grim Reapers back into the capital of the Underworld; Lilith, where he would then take the needed action to get the stubborn black-cloaked entities to spill it. Rizevim stopped being a trouble when he encountered Hyoudou Issei.

But his recurring problem wasn't one that could be solved through physical means. Issei didn't know how to handle it. There was no head to behead. No castle to destroy. No needles that could sew or bandages that could patch this kind of wound.

He knew when it would end; when he moved on. When he let go.

The sooner he let her go, the sooner the hurt would recede. It wouldn't completely heal – this he could tell. There would be times where he see a fucking door and get emotional because his late wife used to walk through that door.

The problem wasn't about him not knowing what to do. The problem was that he didn't know if he wanted to move on from her.

Stowing the bitter thoughts to reappear in the next morning, Issei went outside his old bedroom, walked to the door right in front of it, and took a cold shower to wash away these sentimental pondering.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

Heading downstairs, hearing the sounds of ticking kitchen utensils, he didn't expect to see one of his assassins to be up already. It was barely 7 in the morning for one, they were supposed to be on their surveillance mission for two, and lastly, none of them could cook anything that wasn't instant even if their life depended on it.

Issei rarely ever worried, but he'd rather avoid getting an upset stomach.

As precautions, he stepped inside the kitchen to determine who was the cook this time. If it was Leone, he could find some relief since the girl would never cook anything that takes more than 5 minutes to be cooked. If it was Akame, however, Issei would just head out for breakfast, using a morning jog as a reason.

It was the latter.

"Oh, Master. You're awake." The assassin of cuisines greeted him, at the moment wearing a grey apron that was once white. "Would you like some eggs?"

"Not at the moment. Not hungry yet." Issei said, inwardly preparing a tactical retreat. There was something he wanted to know first, however. "I thought you left already."

"We've gathered enough of what you wanted." Akame pulled a plate from a cupboard next to the stove, and slid her sunny sided eggs over. They looked normal. Runny yellow part and smooth white with crispy brown edges. But Issei had tasted enough to know better than to expect normalcy from her cuisines.

Issei leaned against a wall, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Go on then."

"It's just as you said; they're readying themselves for an unofficial Rating Game, training at the Lilim Mountain Range in the Gremory-controlled region." Akame said as she spooned steamed white rice into her plate. A generous amount of rice. She grabbed a bottle of soy sauce along with her as she moved to the dining room, just next to the kitchen, right beside the living room.

Issei followed her with hands folded. "And the Phenex?"

"He doesn't consider them as a threat." Akame seated herself on the dining table with four chairs. Issei sat in front of hers. "Ten-game win streak tend to give one an unhealthy amount of confidence. Out of twelve, he lost the first two on purpose to gain a favorable relationship from the other Houses. Please excuse me—"

_'Politics.' _As Akame took her first bite, Issei wrinkled his face.

That said, the Phenex wasn't all bark no bite it seemed. "You think the princess has a chance?"

Akame chewed down her food and swallowed it before continuing. "None at all." She bluntly put. "She has talented individuals in her peerage with well above average skills and capacity. Leone weighed that individually, each of them worth two of Riser Phenex' – not counting his Queen and his Bishop."

A Queen was well to be expected, but a Bishop? "Who's His bishop?"

"Ravel Phenex. His own sister."

Issei raised a brow. "Huh. Well that explains it."

Two Devils with near picture-perfect regeneration could easily render Rias' Power of Destruction moot. A perfect counter, simply put. He knew Rias was talented. All of the Gremorys were. She was far from par with Sirzechs' level of mastery, but the girl had the aptitude. She only lacked the strive to make her reach that limit.

Akeno as well. Baraqiel's daughter was nothing compared to the Fallen Angel that was once the Lightning of God, but she could get there. Her only barrier was her daddy issues – which he could understand. If only she could allow herself to accept that she wasn't the only hurting, and that her father was hurting as much if not more than she did.

Losing his wife was torture. Issei couldn't imagine having to bear losing a wife and lost contact with a daughter.

He had only seen Kiba for a few months since the boy's reincarnation, but he knew Kiba trained with Souji; Sirzech's rowdy Knight. The boy could certainly handle himself well despite his frail defense. He forged himself in the 'way of the bushido' and swordsmen-things which Issei was sure Souji would do her best to instill it in the boy's mind. That somewhat-gloomy and melancholic swordmaster was a great teacher with a great set of racks.

…What was he mulling over again? Ah yes, measuring Rias Gremory's peerage individual strength to determine the chances and strategies they could rely on to win.

The Gremory's Rook; the Nekoshou was a resilient little brat on her own. If she could get over her fear of her kin's trademark Senjutsu, she might even become the gamechanger in Rias' upcoming game.

Unfortunately for Rias, Koneko thought her sister had become an evil Disney villain from her use of Senjutsu.

A misunderstanding that could easily be resolved with a use of diplomatic words or even telling the blatant truth — but Issei supposed Rias knew better since she was her kindhearted master who didn't want to offend her feelings.

Him and Sirzechs had always known Rias' peerage was filled with potentially strong candidates to shine in the Rating Games, and she had all the talents and demeanors required to be their good leader. She just had to fix that one tiny thing of her and that was thinking she shouldn't try pushing her peerage to overcome their life issues.

One year ago, that was her only problem. But many things could change in a year. Perhaps the Gremory had addressed her peerage's problems.

Either way; not his problem.

"Four against a complete set huh?" He hummed, "Riser has what… sixteen including himself?"

"Six." Akame corrected. She was half done with her breakfast. "Rias Gremory has a new Bishop and a Knight. Asia Argento and Xenovia Quarta."

"Never heard of either." Hell, Issei had never heard of anything for a year. Supernatural or not, both of the worlds' events fell on deaf ears when he had his own little world in the form of a remote cabin.

"Asia Argento was the rumored Holy Maiden until a few weeks ago." The assassin explained, "The Catholic Church had her exiled because she healed a Devil in the abbey she stayed. The Devil then killed a slew number of priests and kidnapped several nuns."

"And now she's serving a Devil. Not a bright one is she. How did she get here from Italy?"

"A group of rogue Fallen Angels flew her here and provided her shelter. She was murdered just a few days before we met you. The Fallens wanted her Sacred Gear for themselves, but Rias and her peers sniffed them out and resurrected the girl. She seems to be a close friend with Xenovia."

Issei placed his knuckles under his chin, rubbing his recently shaved stubble. Felt like sandpaper. Like a dry tongue of a feline.

"What's her story?"

"We're not sure yet." Akame admitted as she ate the last of the egg; the crunchy part of the whites she had reserved for the last. Her favorite. "I do know she carries a fragment of a Holy Sword with her. The Durandal."

Roland's Holy Blade. One that Souji would fangirl about no doubt.

That said- "How the hell does a Devil have a Holy Blade."

"She was the Holy Maiden's bodyguard prior to her exile. And after her exile as well, it seems. When she arrived here for Asia Argento, the Holy Maiden has been reincarnated as a Devil. Rias Gremory might have convinced her to turn side. During her recon, Leone overheard that Xenovia Quarta had found out about the truth about the Excalibur Project at one point and have been waiting for the chance to turn her back against the church."

Issei almost palmed himself. "They're still at it? Give me a break…"

Akame shook her head. "That I can't tell for certain. Oh, the churches are also missing their respective Excalibur fragments, but we didn't look into it."

"No, no need for that. Let's not get involved with missing swords."

"I see…" He noticed the ravenette assassin had puckered her lips upon hearing his decision. "Well… what else do you want us to do now, Master?"

Issei sat back on his chair. "Well— you both sure are gifted in this whole information-gathering activity; great job to that. Thank you for reminding me why I'm Sirzechs' thug instead of being his spy."

Akame shifted uncomfortably since she wasn't used to compliments. "It's… nothing. It's what we were trained for."

"That you are." He replied, "When's the Rating Game going to be held?"

"Four days from now."

"Good." Not much, but four days should be enough. He wanted to get this one over quickly. "Next thing I'll need one of you to do is to sneak into the Gremory's peerage."

The assassin scrunched her black brows, tilting her head. "Why's that? Do you suspect the Gremory?"

"No, not them. Hell, I worked for one of them. It's the other nobles I'm itchy about." Issei clarified. He felt no need in hiding details in his plan from his own subordinates for some sort of big reveal when he executed his plans perfectly.

That would be plain dumb.

"Their game, unofficial as it is – by that I'm guessing it won't be broadcasted to the public – it'll still be aired to the high-class society. If they were the one who sent you that letter, and they see you or Leone, alive and well and fighting for the Gremory, they will have enough reason to be paranoid. Assuming they did."

"But some of them have hired us."

Issei had expected that. That fact didn't even matter much. "Can you name them?"

"Naud Namigin and Diodora Astaroth; these were the only Devils who revealed their name and House. But for the rest we were hired and paid anonymously."

Two idiots. Two Houses he could safely cross off his checklist – but they weren't in his list of suspicion in the first place either. Still, Sirzechs would probably appreciate this information. He didn't like it much when someone was snooping around playing spies under his Satanic nose, especially if it could bother the realm's stability – as proven by the fact Issei had their noses broken once Sirzechs sniffed them out.

"We won't bother with them." Issei restarted, "I won't ask you to sneak around the remaining Houses either. Just a select view. I'll have you briefed once your partner is back so I won't have to repeat it." He scratched the side of his head, glancing at the hallway. "Where is she anyway."

"She said she sensed someone has been prowling around this area for a few days. She mentioned she could 'smell' them."

"Smell eh?" His brows wrinkled. He had to forcibly tone down his power so he didn't terrify the local supernatural, and by doing so he had to dull his senses too. He could sense nearby Supernaturals, but if they cloaked themselves with whatever magic they used, his mildly enhanced senses wouldn't do any good.

Issei would rather have the brawler smell something else that was related to his wife's murder, but seeing that these assassins had actually surpassed his expectations, he supposed letting her goof around wouldn't hurt. Not to mention whoever she sniffed might have a likely connection to the case.

…

Maybe they should help her.

"Um… Master? That still doesn't answer why you need us to join her peerage."

"Sirzechs requested help." Issei casually said. "He has helped and is helping us anyway. Either of you are capable to deal with the Phenex I'm sure."

"Murasame's curse can halt his regeneration." Akame spoke simply. "I'm better at keeping a low profile too. I'll do it."

"Then there you go. While you're at it, anyone who knows either of you might get suspicious – enough for them to increase their guard, or even try to murder you. I won't let that happen, obviously. But let's talk about it later. Let's find Ms. Boxer first."

He opened the floodgate. Just a bit. Letting Ddraig's Dragonic strength empower him, enhancing his senses, allowing him to determine Leone's location thanks to her Oath.

Several miles away to the west. Where exactly? He couldn't tell. He should ask Ajuka how to add a communication function to his Dragon Oaths; a.k.a Dragonic Steroids.

"Right. She's somewhere to the west. Which way is west."

"The sun sets— that way." Akame pointed at a wall, getting up with her plate. "I'll ready after a drink."

"It's fine. I won't take long. Unless you want another trip to the sky."

The assassin reasonably backed down from his offer.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

"You're not getting away this time…" With a tinge of excitement, Leone muttered under her breath, leaping from one rooftop to another. Her expert weight shift control had allowed her to create as little noise as possible as she darted after the lurker, presently flying away from her, running from her the scared prey she was.

Only this prey was actually fast and also fights back. Dodging an array of bullet-like purple orbs, jumping and twisting her body through the violet projectiles, Leone skillfully caught an AC unit and used it to propel herself back up, catching the edge of the roof and continued her chase.

This person seemed to at least care about collateral damage, she thought. She knew a Nekoshou was one of the strongest species amongst the Yokai until their rumored extinction. This black kimono wearing one could have fought her back instead of running away, but whatever. Leone didn't need much reason to go after a stalker.

Leone braked and leapt to the left, following the interloper's sudden change of direction. She could use a pair of wings now, because her Lionelle paws couldn't grant her flight.

It could, however, allow her to perform a massive jump.

Yellow lights flared as she tapped in to the Beast's pool of power, assimilating the Egyptian God of War's power into her own. As claws replaced her hand, her blonde hair gained length, flowing longer, wilder, more fabulous—just the way a lion's mane would.

The entire town flashed before her as Leone thrusted herself forward, passing several houses in under a second and closing the distance.

She grinned, but her grin faltered when the Nekoshou turned around, and erected a rectangular barrier that she slammed right into it shoulder-first, intending to break through. What she failed to expect was that it wasn't exactly a magical barrier that could be shattered. It was an _elastic _magical barrier.

Even being a lethal assassin didn't make her immune from Newton's third law. Widening her eyes, Leone watched as the Nekoshou gained distance while she was sent back to where she jumped. Twisting in midair, she landed on a house's wall, and rebounded back towards the Nekoshou. Only this time, she didn't instantly go for her.

She didn't need to make the same mistake twice to learn her lesson. Another keen reason why she was highly sought – next to the fact that she had taken a liking in serving those who pay well.

Leone leaped again, her foot as swift and soundless as the wind as she closed the distance once again, bearing her trademark grin whenever her game was bound to meet their end.

But this game in particular was a crafty one – and more to that, she glanced behind her soldier, and instead showing an expression of panic or fright, she had the nerve to _smirk._

That triggered her grin into a ticked-off one. "Oh… it's on now."

The game of cat and lion swerved into the urban park of Kuoh's town as the Nekoshou intended to lose her in the forested area. The Nekoshou created perfect illusions of herself, sending her mirages to all sorts of direction to bewilder the Lioness.

Tough luck for her if that was what she expected, because Leone couldn't get rid of her lavender scent off her nose unless she caught a severe case of hay fever. She simply kept giving chase to the real one, using a tree branch as a swing to propel her forward, tearing through the forest without causing any environmental damage.

When she was within an earshot, the Nekoshou glanced upwards before she once again turned around, a smug smirk still etched on her face, and stood there with her loosely worn black kimono.

Earlier Leone wanted to catch her for questioning first, but after that? Knocking her out _then _questioning her later would make her sleep better tonight.

Kuroka floated to the air, laying upon an invisible mattress as she watched her chaser slashing her claws against a metaphorical crimson wall. There was a shrill noise, but her flesh-rendering attack didn't leave so much of a scratch on the armor.

"What the fu—" Leone cursed, then eyeing the scale mail of her 'Master' with an annoyed look. "Hey what's the big idea?!"

The crimson Scale Mail disintegrated into tiny crimson shards that glittered briefly before fading completely.

"I'm sorry Leone." Issei muttered, huffing a sigh as he turned around to meet the playful Nekoshou. "As much as you wanted to do horrendous things to her; I know this one."

"What. The stalker?"

"As she seems to be." He continued, eyeing Kuroka who returned his stare with an innocent one. "Mind explaining that?"

"Mmm? Heee~ first time we meet after I left you alone for what… a year or so? And the first thing you want from me is an explanation nyan?"

"You're avoiding the question here." Issei reminded in a light tone, smiling. Of course he was glad to see her again, and see for himself that she wasn't _completely _mad towards him. "Do you need to snoop around like that?"

Kuroka huffed proudly. "Not my fault you hid your power. I just want to be sure you weren't some creepy homunculus nyan."

"Did Grayfia tell you?"

"Well let's see…. a little bird happened to tell me," Kuroka drifted to him, slinking her hands across his sweater's chest and to touch his stubble, stroking his jaw with a provocative gaze and intent, "…that someone, might be in desperate need of some… mood uplifting." She quirked a sleek black eyebrow. "Mmn?"

His smile faltered a little, but Issei quickly covered it up with another, pulling away from her seductive allure.

"Here for me eh?"

Kuroka wasn't great at handling these kinds of thing. At least she knew that much; which was why she often let the other girls handle him when he was being gloomy. But she could tell that he wasn't ready yet.

Other girls would have left him alone, probably, but she wasn't like other girls. "Hmmn~? Is rejecting a lady's advances a thing you do now? What a pity nyan. Consider my heart broken once again."

Issei let off a soft chuckle. "Good to see you again, Kuroka."

"Can't say the same to you, Nyassei."

When the Nekoshou playfully bumped her nose with Issei's, Leone dropped her guard as she slouched her shoulders, transforming back to her normal appearance.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Her too? What are you; a playboy?"

"Not intentionally." Issei defended.

Kuroka huffed, using her tail to swat his face. "Never refused anyone though."

"I have a very big heart."

With a giant hole, unfortunately.

"It's to compensate for something else that isn't as big." Kuroka quipped, and Leone decided that she was okay with not hitting the girl since she just made her day.

* * *

**_Break_**

* * *

As Kuroka was an expert sorceress, mass teleportation back to the house was child's play. Her magic circle shone a radiant purple glow, drenching the living room in its color and alerting a certain assassin that had been waiting for them.

Akame had her cursed katana ready and unsheathed as she had taken a stance beside the sofa she was lazing on. But upon seeing her partner and master all at once, who was carrying another woman, she eased herself.

"You found the lurker?"

"His other lover, more like." Leone grumbled, stepping off the vanishing magic circle and leaving the two lovebirds alone.

"We're here now." Issei said flatly to the woman latched on him like a backpack. "You can get off."

"Mmnnah." Kuroka whirred as she lied her cheek on his shoulder, pressing her chest against his back shamelessly. "I'm tired from the hot pursuit." She took note of the other assassin with an impish gaze. "Yo."

"H-hey…" Akame replied, scrutinizing the girl with peculiar raven black hairstyle, staring at her amber eyes with slit black pupil. "…I feel like I've seen you before."

"Probably in one of those wanted poster nyan. That's right— you're seeing at a criminal." Kuroka replied while Issei took her closer to the sofa, and sat down. "_MROW—!_ GET OFF OF ME YOU BRUTE!"

Issei did as Kuroka whacked his back repeatedly, while Akame's eyes were still filled with both confusion and wonder.

"You… sheltered a criminal?"

"Long story!" Leone shouted from the kitchen, likely scrounging the fridge. "Hey which one of you smartasses ate my pudding?!"

Issei noticed the widening of Akame's blood red eyes and her awkwardly shut lips, but said nothing about it. "She's a criminal that isn't actively pursued." He said. "Sirzechs' still searching a loophole to convince her accuser she's not _completely_ guilty. Lots of people wanted her head still."

Kuroka whined, "Poor me no? Falsely charged for a murder I committed, but for the wrong reason." Making herself comfortable on the couch, sprawling her body along the three-seater, Kuroka eyed the assassin with a mischievous glint. "Why… I still have a pretty hefty bounty on my head nyan. Wanna try and get it?"

Unlike Leone, Akame wasn't intimidated or agitated. "An ally of my Master is an ally of mine for all I am concerned."

"Oooh~ how gallant." Kuroka twirled a smile, toning down her hostility. "She reminds me of Souji-nyan."

"She's not as rigid and stop picking fights with my agents."

"Not as busty either." With a red blush, Akame covered her modest chest with both her hands. "Oh relaaax~ I won't bite. Well... Not if you don't want me to."

Officially threatened in a way she never had been threatened before, Akame wisely retreated into the kitchen. Getting berated by Leone was easier to handle than being trifled by a temptress with feline ears.

Somewhat alone now, Issei sat at the opposing couch since Kuroka had practically claimed the other for her alone.

"Let's get this straight; you're here for your sister?"

"Well~" Kuroka didn't waste any time in getting on top of him again; casually floating as she carried herself to sit on his lap, saddling him as she locked her hands behind his neck. "~not exclusively for her only."

Issei sighed softly, smiling weakly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I can't right now."

"Aww… gloomy still aren't you nyan?" Kuroka whirred as she removed her hands off his neck, and nuzzled his neck and chest, brushing her feline ear against his stubbled jaw. "Fine then. I'll just sit here until you're not as sulky."

Shaking his head, Issei sniggered. This, too, was her own personal way to brighten his day. But if he simply relished in it, he couldn't shrug off the fact that he feeling that he was skipping the 5 stages of grief. Felt that he was using her, to put it bluntly. Felt it wasn't _right _to just… simply be happy.

"I can't, Kuroka." He heaved a dreary sigh. "This feels like I'm betraying her."

"Mhmm. That's a line you shouldn't ever say to Grayfia-nyan." Kuroka muttered. "You're lucky I have a thick hide."

Another sigh. "See? That's another reason why I can't. She's the only one in my mind right now even when you're literally sitting on me."

"Not the first time she's in your head when another girl's on you."

Issei knew he deserved that. He wasn't in a prime condition, but he knew he deserved that one for choosing one woman to love when he once swore he would love all of them equally.

"Yeah… well…"

"It's fine _yeesh._" Kuroka sniffed, showing him her pouty face. "We all lost fair and square. She won you fair and square. Stop beating yourself up or I will beat you up nyan."

He allowed a smile, and giving her a look. "Since when did you get so mature?"

"I've always been mature!" Kuroka huffed immaturely, but there was a shift in her disposition as she spoke her next sentences. This time, this was her being her most naked self. "Let people help you because they want to help. That's why I'm here. That's why Grayfia was here. That's why she told me about you. Even if you feel bad about it; we don't. We want to help so just let us. Let us do what we think we can do, as much as we want."

Issei nearly crumbled then, but stopped himself from getting tearful and hugged her instead. He didn't deserve them. He left them for a woman. He let them go, and moved on when neither Kuroka and Grayfia hadn't.

What an utter failure of a Harem King he was.

Thinking about this kind of complicated things hurt his brain. Just focusing himself solely on vengeance was the easiest way he knew to deal with the pain, but he couldn't be completely selfish when he had others around him.

He didn't know what he should do. He was trained to kill so he could protect. He wasn't trained to deal with an irreplaceable loss.

Even then, Issei wanted to move forward. He swore to himself that he would find her killer. Everything that was related to the bastard.

And once it was done, then maybe. Just maybe. He could find peace. Peace from a self-sought redemption from his failure. And let her go.

"Thanks."

Snaking her arms over his chest, and then resting her head on his chest; listening to his heartbeat again, Kuroka nearly let her own tears spill if not for the fact that there were others around them.

"…Don't mention it… Stupid." She whispered. Many thought she was a carefree individual. Well, she was. Until he showed up and gave her a reason to care about someone other than her or her sister. "I'm sorry about her."

"Me too."

"I missed you."

"Me too."

"I miss her too."

"…I do too."

The two went quiet for a moment, sharing the sting of the bitterness.

"Oh no… I think I'm gonna cry now." Still with her head tucked under his chin, Kuroka began to sniffle, and found herself frustrated. "Dammit- I don't wanna cry dangit. Fia-chan has probably cried a river and my share."

Issei pushed back the thought of her. For now. Issei stood up with Kuroka still on his hands.

"I'll get you to my room."

"Well, mister, you better hurry up because I'm starting to get flashbacks from every stupid moments we had together and they're getting more sentimental and I'm gonna—" a hitching sob choked her tirade, and Kuroka failed to make any other noise other than a dejected series of whimpering as she buried her face on his chest, clutching his sweater, horribly missing a friend she could no longer tease.

Both Leone and Akame stayed in the kitchenette as Issei carried Kuroka up the stairs, keeping their silent for their grieving Master.

Leone huffed once she heard the sound of a door opening and shutting.

"Maaan—" she scratched her bright blonde hair, "this is why I don't wanna get hitched. Or get attached to things I don't want to lose like people and puddings. Especially puddings. _Which you ate_."

Akame sighed tranquilly.

"I'm sorry. I was craving for something sweet."

Cracking her hands, Leone smiled a sinister smile. "I'll give you something sweet—"

In the face of imminent pain, the assassin worked her quick mind. "Wait-wait-wait— Master wants us to observe several Houses."

"Oh yeah? Which Houses?" The brawler lowered her fists; postponing her capital punishment of one long grind to the head.

"…" The assassin realized she did not think this through as she should have. "Well… He was planning to brief the details, but he's pretty busy I'd think."

"You think my feet." Leone spat, "Now gimme your head you thieving swine!"

Cold dread washed over her face as Akame backed herself to a wall. "Wait Leone! I'm sorry, I'll buy you another— ow it hurts! It hurts!"

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**alternate chapter title: S**

**why cant I hold all these feels? :pepehands:**

**rEmEMbER guYs iSsie wAIf dIEdeD a wEeK aGO**

**On a serious note, I like Kuroka's synergy with Leone and Akame already and just her character in general. Lighting up the mood by being a pain in the butt, while her mood wasn't exactly the brightest. ****I like this one better than your everyday tsundere **

**Someone suggested for a female Vali. I was kind of _ehhhhhh_ because I'd only do it in shitposts. Check out Death's Chosen btw. That's the shitpost where fem Vali AND fem Kiba be present. Why grant them tits? For the glory of the gods of boobies and poor comedy of course!**

**I'm not sure if I want to do that here. I've already swapped DxD Okita with Fate Souji Akita Alter. Why? Because animu tiddies huehuheue amongst other reason. Canon Okita not being too influential to the story is one of the reasons. **

**Vali, on the other hand, is purdy fuckin' important. I refuse to genderbend someone just for the sake of adding another collection to Issei's cocksleev— imean harem member. **

**Then again, I'm always partial to what my readers want. At the end of the day, I'm still writing this for you guys UWU - but not really  
So if you want female vali for whatever reason, say it. Let me know. If I don't get any, or get more "NO PLS DANZY NO", then I'm assuming there's no degenerate brave enough to stand for that idea, and there shall be no vali with tts within this story**

might have one in Academy DxD tho ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) that one is my most glorious shitpost yet. If you like banterific Issei, Sairaorg, Kuroka, and Ingvild, with some sprinkle of Fate characters - then go read it.

**Aight cya bois. Remember: **

**punt one baby a day, keeps the corona away**


End file.
